Into the Woods
by kyubiteaser
Summary: Naruto and Hinata are sent on a simple mission: delivering medicine, but get sidetracked on an adventure neither one of them saw coming PART 1 OF MY SERIES INTO THE WORLD
1. Fog

_**I do not own, or claim to own, any part of Naruto.**_

_**This is my first submission here on this site. I originally posted this story on TONFA under the penname "foxfire"**_

_**Please review and comment! I want to know what you honestly think, even if all you can manage is "it's a bunch of fluff" i read and appreciate all.**_

* * *

"Hinata? Are you sure you're feeling alright?" 

Hinata blinked when she realized he had been talking to her. _ 'How long has he been talking?'_ She shook herself out of her thoughts and replied to him, blushing as usual.

"Yes, Naruto-kun...I was...just thinking about the mission"

She couldn't believe she had allowed herself to zone out like that while they were racing through the treetops en route to the Village Hidden in the Mist. A rare illness was plaguing their country, and the only cure grew in the forests of Konoha. Her and Naruto were charged with delivering this precious cargo, and she groaned at remembering how she had passed out when Hokage-sama told them it would just be the two of them...alone..for the whole journey. And of course, as her luck would have it, she passed out AGAIN when she awoke to find herself in Naruto's arms with his large, sparkling blue eyes gazing softly at her with concern. _ 'Damn it Hinata...focus!' _ she kept telling herself,_ 'This is a very important mission...peoples lives depend on you! Please try to be strong for them!'_

Naruto beamed with excitement, even under the weight of the heavy pack he was lugging. "It's about time granny-Tsunade lets me play the hero I am! Just think of how happy the people will be to see us come to the rescue!" He looked over at her again, the smile fading briefly "Are you sure you're alright? We can stop to rest for a bit if you'd like...you scared us back there for a moment."

Her face blazed in a furious crimson at that. _'He was scared? For ME?'_ She could feel herself fading out again, _ 'No! Don't you dare Hyuga Hinata! So he was worried about you...you've got to stop acting so childish...he'll never respect you if you fall apart every time he smiles at you! Besides, Naruto-kun has such a big heart...he cares about everyone...it doesn't make you special to him.'_ She forced herself to look at him, realizing he saw her angry blush and was getting more concerned. "I can keep going...unless... you think we should." She gave him her small, shy smile, hoping he'll believe her

He smiled back at her and nodded. "If you say so, I'll believe it. If I remember from the last time I made this trip, there's a clearing once we pass those upcoming cliffs. It's been quiet a while, but I'm sure it's there. We can stop there to rest, it's getting late anyways, and I'm starting to get hungry!"

Hinata let out a sigh of relief. As they followed the treeline along the rising cliffs she fell back a little to watch him as he nimbly leapt amongst the trees. It was amazing how he's grown since Sauske left. Granted he was still the loud #1 hyperactive ninja of the leaf, she didn't think he would ever truly outgrow that. But at times he could be amazingly calm and focused. She could see in him the leader he wished to become, and she wished she could have his strength. He was so confident, so sure of himself and every move he made, even if it was the biggest mistake in the world. And he always would just get up, dust himself off, and flash that silly, stupid, but oh so charming grin that made those cobalt eyes of his sparkle...those eyes she could easily get lost in...

And that's when it happened. Not paying attention she leapt onto a rotting branch that snapped under her sudden weight w/a sickening crack and left her tumbling down the cliffs into the ravine before she could react. She screamed out to him in terror, "NARUTO!" before she slammed into the dirt wall, knocking her unconscious and sending her bouncing further downward. He had heard the wood shatter, but was to far ahead to get back to her before she started falling. Realizing there was no way for him to safely jump down after her, he had only one chance to save her.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" he screamed, popping out a line of shadow clones who hurled themselves over the edge, catching her and then hauling her back up the cliffs. After releasing the clones he laid her down and looked her over. She was lucky. There had been heavy rains in the days before, and where she struck was softer mud instead of the harder rocks below. She looked to just be very dirty w/a large lump on her head. "Don't worry Hinata, I'll take care of you," he whispered to her as he scooped her up gently and took off for that clearing they had talked about.

* * *

_'Oh...what happened...why do I feel like Akimaru's chew toy?.. Naruto-kun?'_

"Naruto-kun!" she yelped as her eyes shot open. She groaned as the pain went shooting through her temples. She sat up slowly, taking the wet cloth off her forehead and looking around. There was a small bloodstain on the cloth, and she was covered in muck. _"That's right.."_ she said to herself quietly, _"I fell didn't I? Cause I was being stupid and not paying attention like I should have. Instead I was daydreaming about him again. Baka."_ She realized that it was awfully quiet, and Naruto was no where to be seen. However she found water and bandages, as well as the pack of medicine sitting next to her, her jacket having been removed and rolled into a pillow under her head. The sky was getting dark...or was that just the fuzziness in your head? "He must have cleaned me up and then went off to find firewood to set up camp for the night." She smiled quietly to herself. _"He took care of me..."_ she stopped and bit back the tears. _"he wouldn't have to take care of you if you weren't such an idiot"_

She threw down the cloth in self loathing, and tried to stand up. _"A little wobbly...nothing's broken...but ooohhh,"_ she moaned as she stretched, _"damn I'm sore."_ Just then she realized she could hear a loud rushing sound, like a waterfall. "We must be close to the river." She looked down at her bloody, muddy clothes and sighed. "I suppose I'll go clean up... show him I'm alright after all." And with that she headed off the short distance through the bushes to the water.

On the other side she found a narrow waterfall cascading down into a good sized pool. A mist of fog is rising off the pool and drifting lazily across the grass. "Perfect," she said to herself. "I'll just clean up here and be done before Naruto realizes I'm up. Won't he be surprised?" As she walked down to the edge, she lost her balance and slipped down the slick rocks, landing waste deep in the water. "Baka Hinata! Can't you do anything right?" She sighed again, fighting back the tears. _'get ahold of yourself...it's just water...besides, you needed to get the mud out of your clothes anyways. Just give them a good rinse then set them to dry on the grass. Naruto won't be back for a while...and besides, it's not like he'd know to come look for you here...'_

She swam out into the deep pool a little ways, enjoying how good the icy water felt on her sore muscles before slipping out of her pants and underwear. After she rinsed them carefully she tossed the dripping wad back to shore and repeated the process w/her shirt and bra. Then she climbed out of the water, spread her clothes out and sat down on a large rock. _ "Now...lets see what kind of damage you did to yourself you stupid klutz"_ she sighed to herself as she carefully moved her hands over her shivering, naked body, looking for cuts and bruises...

* * *

"Don't worry, Hinata, I'm back w/the wood and I'll soon have a big fire going. And then I won't have to leave your side again...except maybe to go take a leak or something...but other then that I'm going to take real good care of...Hinata?" Naruto drops the wood he was carrying as he arrives back at the clearing to find nothing but their packs lying on the ground. "Hinata? Hinata! HINATA! Where the hell did you go? Are you alright!" Naruto starts bouncing around the clearing, looking hear there and everywhere for his missing companion. "Oh this isn't good! Not only is it bad enough she gets hurt the first time I get left in charge...NOW she's MISSING! Granny-Tsunade is gonna KILL ME FOR THIS!" he cries as he collapses by their stuff in tears.

As he picks up the scattered bandages, he notices a set of footprints heading off towards the river. _'Ahha! She must have gone to rinse the mud off herself! I better go make sure she's ok_ and without a second though jumps up and heads to the bushes. Just as he starts going through he hears an unexpected sound. Singing. He pauses and the creeps slowly to the edge, peeking between the branches, and nearly chokes at what he sees...

Hinata is perched delicately on a large rock, her back towards him and singing softly to herself...completely nude!

_'Hi...Hinata-chan...she's...you're...'_

As she sings to herself, she's gently sliding her hands along her body, the colours of the setting sun causing the light and shadow to dance across her smooth skin. He admires the line of her neck, the hourglass of her waist, and the round firm shape of her buttocks. A strange warmth runs through him, and he realizes his pants are suddenly getting very tight.

_'I shouldn't be looking at her like this...I shouldn't be...'_

But instead of turning and acting like he saw nothing, he moves to try and get a better view...

* * *

Hinata turns to check her shoulders for anything, _'It'd be easier if Naruto were here to help with my back'_ she giggled softly to herself, imagining what he would do if he saw her here like this...and then she froze... _'wait a second...that bush just...HE IS HERE TO SEE THIS!'_ She spotted him out of the corner of her eye, crouching in the bushes w/a look of amazement on his face...and what appeared to be a slight grin. She turned away slightly as the blush warmed her face, _"well, you always wanted him to look at you...it seems you finally got his attention...but now what do I do?'_ Her mind raced, she never expected this situation to ever arise...certainly NOT like THIS! Not even in her wildest fantasy. They were finally alone, his full attention on her, and she was starting to clam up again. _'No Hinata...stop hiding from yourself...you finally have the perfect chance to find out how he feels...if you give up now...you'll never forgive yourself.'_ She swallowed hard on that last thought, and slowly started to stand up...

Naruto froze in his hiding place. _'Crap! Did she see me? She's gonna kill me! WhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoi...huh'_ Instead of turning around and screaming, as he fully expected her to, she calmly walked partway down into the water and began washing herself off. _'SHE DIDN"T SEE ME!'_ he squealed jubilantly to himself, taking in the scene before him.

Hinata was standing in the water, slowly rubbing the water up and down herself. He watched intently as rubbed her way upward over her muscular thighs and those petite hips. He longed to touch those hips, guide them in his hands. His gaze traveled higher, following her hands across her smooth, kissable stomach to her soft, round breasts. He'd never realized what a perfect body she had...she always hid it under that jacket. She reached up and squeezed her breasts lightly, almost playfully, the cold water making her nipples hard and perky. His groin throbbed as his pants grew tighter, his desire mounting. He rubbed himself lightly...feeling dirty for doing this..but at the same time unable to help himself...until he realized something

_'is she...looking at me? does she know I'm hiding here?'_

"Hinata-chan..." he whispers quietly to himself, "are you...do you...want me to see you?"

* * *

_'You must have hit your head harder then you thought to be acting like this'_ she said to herself as she caressed herself in front of him, gently teasing a pert nipple. She was even more amazed at the fact that she was enjoying it. She couldn't help herself and kept looking back at him, watching him watching her, amazed at the longing she was seeing in those eyes. She felt so hot despite the freezing water, a dampness growing between her legs that was definitely not from her splashing around. The intensity in his gaze, the realization...

_'the realization that he know's I know he's there!'_

Her hands paused as this sunk in. They had full eye contact, he wasn't even trying to hide anymore. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she felt like she couldn't breath. _'What is he thinking? Have I scared him? Oh god...I knew this wasn't a good idea...'_ She started to step back further into the water...

Realizing he was caught, Naruto righted himself so she could see him. She had smiled at first, but now she looked panicked...scared...she started to back up into the water to hide...he had to do something or she'd hate him forever, and he couldn't stand that thought...

"Hinata! Wait!" he jumped out of the bushes and rushed to her. She froze where she stood as he jumped into the water and pulled her to him. He was so warm, and his hands were shaking as he clutched her to his chest. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have spied on you," he whispered into her ear. His breath was hot on her neck and sent shivers all over her body. "I'm sorry, but I was so surprised to see you here like this...and you're so beautiful...I couldn't stop myself...please... don't hide from me...don't hate me."

Hinata couldn't believe what she was hearing, what he was doing. Those powerful arms she had longer for were finally wrapped around her. She was overcome by his intoxicating scent of musk and sweat. And the words kept ringing thru her head "please...don't hide from me."

"Naruto-kun..." she said quietly. He pulled back a little, his forehead resting against hers. A small tear slid down her cheek as she dared herself to move that achingly painful distance to touch her lips to his. He met her halfway, lightly brushing them together, almost afraid she would vanish in his arms like a puff of smoke if he actually kissed her. She was trembling now...from the cold? from fear? from excitement?

_'Damint Hinata! Just DO It!'_ she screamed to herself one last time.

Suddenly she had his head gripped between her hands, kissing him with everything she had.

Naruto was now the one frozen with shock, unable to believe that this was happening to him. _'Oh, Hinata-chan'_ he thought to himself as he wrapped her up in his arms and returned the kiss. She started to relax her grip on his skull, moving her fingers through his spiky hair. He ran his hand down her back, to her soft, firm cheeks. Naruto realized she was getting covered in goose bumps, and then that they were still standing in the river. He gently broke from her hungry lips and scooped her up in his arms. "I think we should move to a slightly more appropriate place," he grinned at her.

Oh to be in those arms! How she had dreamed of this moment, to be swept off her feet by the one she had loved and admired for so long! _'I definitely must have hit my head harder...I must still be unconscious...but I definitely don't want to wake up yet!'_

Naruto carried her back up onto the grass, setting her down in a spot that was covered in spongy moss that tickled her skin. He removed his jacket, rolling it up and tucked it gently under her head before kissing her deeply. Their lips parted, allowing each to explore the others mouth, to taste each other fully. He broke again and began to kiss her down along her graceful neck, biting playfully along her collar bone. She moaned with delight as he ran his hand across her stomach, circling her bellybutton teasingly with a finger before continuing upward to cup her left breast. "You're skin is soon soft," he growled into her ear before licking his way down to her breast, taking the nipple into his mouth and sucking gently on it. She squealed lightly at the sensation, running her fingers into his spikey golden locks, tugging them gently as he flicked his tongue, driving her crazy. Naruto grinned to himself, enjoying every squirm and squeak she made in response to him. He alternated between her breasts with his hands and mouth, never going any further south then her navel, which he would also tease with his tongue. Finally she couldn't bear it any longer, gasping for breath. "Naruto...what are you doing to me?" Naruto looked up at her, deep into the opaline eyes that seemed to see into forever. "Something I should have done a long time ago, " he said with a touch of regret, "loving you."

She gazed back at him dreamily, letting herself float away in those deep blue pools of his eyes. She loved those eyes. The Byakagun of her family were cold, expressionless. Everyone around her seem to stare right through her. But Naruto's eyes were windows to his soul! His eyes looked at her, finally REALLY looked at her, and all she saw back in them was love.

He bent down to kiss her lightly again, her lips soft and yielding, before getting up to his knees and moving down by her feet. Hinata looked at him, slightly confused. he was still fully dressed, though his pants appeared to desperately wish otherwise. Naruto only smiled and parted her legs gently, bending down to kiss her every so lightly on the inside of her right knee. She gasped at the electric feeling that shot upward, and fought to sit still as he slowly made his way. "What...what are you doing to me...Na..naruto-kun?"

Naruto was loving every second of this. Between Kakashi-sensei and Ero-sennin, he had had plenty of "study material" for this, but had never had the chance to actually try it out. He was going to do his best to please Hinata, she deserved it.

He slowly made his way up the inside of her right thigh, amazed at how Hinata was responding. He could smell her sex now, and it made him dizzy with anticipation. She was writhing under his touch now, begging him with her eyes for release but at the same time egging him on for more. He was pleased to see she kept herself trimmed, that should make his job easier he thought to himself. Looking up at her one last time, his lightly kissed her on those pouting lips, feeling her tense under his grasp. Ever so slowly, he parted them with his tongue, licking lightly and listening to her squeaks and gasps. Naruto gently brought his hand up, rubbing the velvet fur before running a finger firmly down the middle, gently massaging her clitoris before parting those lips again and sucking on it gently. He couldn't believe how wet she was already, and he became painfully aware of his own throbbing erection, his pants getting damp and sticky from his excitement.

Hinata couldn't take it anymore, her head was spinning as she clawed desperately at the ground beneath her. Where did Naruto learn to do this at? He continued to suck on her clit, rubbing it lightly in his mouth with the tip of his tongue and gently slid his long, slender finger into her slit. Always in everything he did soooo gentle, so careful with her...as if he was afraid to break her. She called to him, and he quickened the pace...the sensation a mix of pain and pleasure... _'Is this what I'm supposed to feel like?'_

Naruto felt her tensing around his fingers, her hips moving in time with him. Hinata had a huge clump of moss in her hand that she was slowly beginning to rip out of the ground when suddenly her whole body shuddered. Her other hand that had been absently playing with his hair suddenly tightened and pulled slightly as she cried out his name, and then lay still. He climbed up between her legs and touched her face gently.

"Hinata? Are you alright...?"


	2. Dreamtime

The ground slowly began to solidify beneath her again, and the vertigo was letting up. Hinata sighed as the calm washed over her, afraid to move. She was sore, but her body tingled as if on pins and needles. Something prickled on the edge of her awareness...someone was touching her face and speaking softly. 

_Hinata..._

Everything seemed fuzzy and warm...she was sooo warm right now...sooo peaceful and content.

_Hinata..._

There it was again. But she was so happy to just lie there in his arms...

Naruto!

Her eyes shot open, blinking out the haze to make sure this was real. He was there, smiling down at her with that funny look on his face and gently brushing stray hairs off her forehead. "Hey...you alright?" Hinata beamed back at him, "I'm just perfect," she said moving to hug him. The room started spinning again, leaving her no choice but to stay still. "Hey," Naruto soothed, "You hit your head pretty good. You should just stay there and relax."

_'Hit my...what?'_

Hinata looked around, shocked to discover they weren't tangled up in each other on the river bank anymore. She was still dressed, even wrapped in a blanket, lying next to a small fire. The forest was dark around them and the stars twinkled above. Naruto was rinsing a cloth in water and dabbing it along her forehead. He could see she was getting upset and confused. "Don't you remember? On the way here?"

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "That's right...I fell from that tree..but...what about...?" she looked back up at him, for some sign she wasn't crazy. _'Don't tell me that wasn't...that we didn't...was it all a dream?'_

"Don't worry," Naruto smiled at her patting the large pack next to him, "I've got it right here. Everything's alright, I'm just not so sure about you right now."

Hinata rolled over and buried her face in the sleeping bag. _'so it was all a dream'_

* * *

Naruto spent the next hour fussing over her. He made her sit up and eat some of the fish he had cooked, found her some painkillers in the first aid kit to help with her headache. She seemed almost depressed, but wouldn't say anything to him. After she finished eating she told him she was tired, and rolled over to go to sleep. So now he sat on the other side of the fire, leaning up against an old tree stump and just watching her. Her breathing was slow and regular, and she was curled up like a kitten into a tight little ball. He wanted to go to her, to hold her and keep her warm and safe through the night, but he didn't dare.

_'Hinata...did you forget? Don't you remember?'_

He threw himself over, staring upward at the rising smoke and the flashing stars. She must be hurt worse then he thought if she could forget something like that. Maybe he should have said something. Naruto closed his eyes with a sigh, remembering her soft skin, the smell of her hair, her taste on his lips. He had pushed her to far in her condition. When he realized she was just unconscious he carried her back to the camp site, dressed her in a clean set of clothing while the others dried by the fire-although he couldn't figure out how to work that bra thing, and was way to embarrassed to try and slide her panties on her-and after making sure she was warm and comfortable, snuck off behind a tree to finish himself off. _'You're such an idiot, Naruto' _he told himself, leaning against the tree while he abused himself, keeping an eye on her incase she should wake up. _'You shouldn't have done that to her...she's got a fricken head injury for gods sake...she probably had no idea what she was doing..'_ But the way she had kissed him, pressed herself against him, God even when she tugged his hair! Her body rising to his slightest touch, and that need in her eyes as she moaned softly, begging him for more...He released himself onto the brush with a groan, his poor member finally getting the relief it had begged for for so long...

He looked back over at her sleeping form again, her back still to him. He followed the curve of her hips with his eyes, wishing to put his arms around them. But after she woke up she had shown no sign that she remembered any of it, and he was afraid what she would say if she woke up to him next to her. He kicked the tree stump in disgust before rolling over, back towards his desire, to try and get some sleep. They still had a long journey ahead of them. Maybe when they were done with the mission...

* * *

_Naruto and Hinata are kissing each other passionately. He moves his hands carefully under her clothes, teasing her nipple with the right while the left is down the back of her pants playing with her damp slit. She's undone his pants and is gripping him firmly, working the full length of his hardness with both of her small hands. Suddenly they're on the ground, Naruto ripping her clothes off roughly, his mouth rough and forceful. "Naruto-kun...wait...you're hurting me..." she begs him as he bites her shoulder and squeezes her breasts hard, positioning himself over her, "please...slow down!" He stops and look down at her. To her horror his gentle cerulean pools have been replaced with burning red. He lets out an evil laugh as the shadows surround them. "Naruto-kun?" he mocks, large teeth forming in his mouth, "There's no Naruto-kun here...just a hungry demon. But don't worry, this will all be over in a second!" He lunges down, tearing into her flesh as she screams for him to stop..._

"NARTUO!" she screams, bolting upright. Hot tears burn her face as she tries to get a grip on reality. Something grabs her from behind, and she spins, hitting it hard and screaming for help. Hinata falls over, covering her head and crying, waiting for death to come...

But instead a quiet voice calls to her, and gentle hand falls on her back. She looks up to see Naruto, plain old Naruto, looking back down at her with a bloody nose. "What's wrong? What happened?" he asks desperately as he pulls her upright, his blue eyes...thank god! those beautiful blue eyes, searching her for any sign of injury.

_'a dream...it was all a dream'_

Hinata begins shaking, tears pouring down her face when she realizes she lashed out on him. Naruto reaches over, brushing his thumb across her cheek. "It's ok, it's over. I'm here. Tell me what happened." Unable to bear it any longer, she buries her face in his chest, clinging to him with all her strength as sobs wrack her body. He pulls her gently in his lap and holds her, not sure what to do. The only other time a girl's ever cried on him like this was when Sauske left to join Orochimaru and Sakura begged him to bring him back.. That time it was obvious what was wrong. This time he was clueless.

"I'm sorry," she whispers as she tries to calm down. "It was... just a horrible nightmare...I didn't mean to hit you..." Hinata looks up into his face, her watery eyes pleading for forgiveness. Again he dried her cheek with his thumb, and then planted a small kiss on her forehead. Then he pulled her close to him, cradling her against his chest. "It's ok, don't worry about me. All that matters to me is that you're safe." The tears stop instantly at those words. _'He does care...oh Naruto...' _She reaches slowly up and places her hand on his, moving it from her cheek and kissing his palm softly and whispering in a small voice, "I always feel safe with you."

They sat motionless, afraid of breaking the spell that seems to have come over them. Hinata wrapped in his arms, listening to his heart beating rapidly, wondering why he seemed to be holding his breath. Naruto holding her tightly, his chest cold and damp from her tears, promising himself to never let her go.

He looks down, realizing that he's bleeding all over her. He laughs softly, pulling his hand away to try and catch the dripping. She looks up surprised, then assumes her normal shade of crimson over what she did to him. She reaches into her pocket for her handkerchief and is surprised to find it gone. "That's funny...I always carry a hankie or two..."

"It's probably still in your other pants," was his reply as he tried to stave off the blood gushing from his nose.

Hinata climbs out of his lap to go check and then stops. "Wait...other pants? What other pants, Naruto?"

Naruto looked up at her sheepishly, turning his own shade of red, or was that just blood on his face? "You had woken up once before while I was getting firewood. You'd wandered down to the river to clean up and when I came back..."

"You...you mean THAT wasn't a DREAM?" she cut in on him, her jaw on the ground.

"You mean you DO REMEMBER THAT?" he gawked back at her.

They stared at each other, speechless, until Naruto's bloody nose interrupted them once again. "Please, lets take care of this before I bleed to death, and then we can figure this out..."


	3. Dawn

**_Again, I don't own Naruto_**

**_Please leave comments! I love em!_**

**_

* * *

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The two lay together by the fire, clinging to each other and tied up in the blankets. They had made up briefly, and quiet innocently compared to before. Hinata had stopped him from going very far, surprising him by grabbing his hands firmly, telling him to wait as she tried to catch her breath. "The sun will be up soon," she'd said sheepishly, avoiding looking him in the eye. "We have two days left till we reach the bridge...and...and I'm...still pretty tired..." She had seemed almost frightened, and although he didn't understand it, Naruto accepted it. He was propped up against the stump again, but this time she was with him, her head over his heart _'She seemed to like that spot'_ and the fingers of her left hand still tangled in his shirt where she had been fidgeting with it before she fell asleep.

Naruto was still awake, dozing in and out. He was tired, but his brain just wouldn't stop...to busy trying to figure out what exactly was going on. Two days ago he never would have thought about Hinata in such a way, but now he couldn't get her off of it. He tried to figure out how long she's liked him, still feeling like such an idiot. As far back as he could remember knowing her (or at least about her) she had always been kind to him compared to the other kids. But she still hid her face from him and never really seemed to have much to say. Was that cause she was shy? Or just cause it was him, and no one wanted to be around him back then? He'd spent all these years with Sakura-tunnel vision to suddenly be dreaming of another girl.

He sighed again. He still loved Sakura, he knew he always would. And although she would never admit it, Naruto knew she cared about him on some level as well. She didn't yell at him so much, and had started randomly coming to visit him. Since Sauske left there hadn't really been much of a team 7, and she was busy training at the hospital with Granny-Tsunade. Naruto grinned. He was proud of her for finally finding something she was good at, some way she could be helpful, even if it meant he didn't get to see her everyday anymore. She had started buying him groceries, making it out that she just happened to bump into him on the way home from the market and have a few to many bags and forgetting to take one or two after he'd help carry them home. And he'd drag her out of the library and her constant studying for dinner every so often in return. And then there were the night walks when he couldn't sleep and would find her out wandering under the moon as well. They'd never say a word, but would always wind up back at the training ground, back at the spot where they first became a team...no...a family.

Hinata moaned softly, breaking his train of thought. She stirred a little, nuzzling up closer to his neck. His kissed the top of her head softly and began playing absentmindedly with her soft, fragrant hair. _'What is that scent...Jasmine? Honeysuckle?'_ he thought as he inhaled deeply, letting the scent overpower him. _'Whatever it is...it certainly is intoxicating' _His mind started drifting back to the waters edge, aware that her breasts are pressed up against him, that she still wasn't wearing any underwear after that session, her soft skin right there within reach...

_'Stop it Naruto'_ he ordered himself, fighting to stop his arousal. _'She's right...we have all the time in the world for that after we finish this mission...it's not like you'll never see her again'_

Or do we?

He gazed out into the dying embers of the fire. What would everyone back at the village say about all this? Normally he wouldn't care, but for Hinata...? Her situation, her life was different. She was heir-apparent to the Hyuga clan, one of the most highly regarded families in the village...no, the country. She received birthday wishes from the feudal lords, and her father was not one to mess with. If Konoha had royalty, she would certainly be the princess. He sighed. There was no way her father would stand for this, for her to be paired with the "Kyubi Brat", as some of the village still whispered as he walked past.. Most of them had forgiven him for this, letting his deeds show that he wasn't the monster they had all feared in the beginning. But some were not convinced. Was her family one of them?

Neji had gained some respect for him, they were on reasonably friendly terms after they formed the 5 man team to try and bring back Sauske, all of them nearly losing their lives to it. He knew he was also a lot closer to his cousin then he originally had been. Neji was busy, always away on high rank missions, but he would still find time to help Hinata hone her technique, claiming it was for his own practice. He was the only one who would push her hard and not let up on her, forcing her to be faster, stronger. What would he do if he found out?

_"And what about you, Kyubi?" _Naruto thought to himself.

Technically speaking there were three of them involved in this. He gazed back down at her, sleeping peacefully in his arms, lying across the seal that bound his soul to a demons. If this relationship progressed, if they got really serious about this...he would have to tell her. She had a right to know his horrible secret. Not even Sakura-chan knew about it yet...and he hadn't dared tell any of the others. They knew that when challenged he could call forth some unknown terrifying chakra, but they didn't know why or how. Shinobi all have secrets about their technique, why should he be different? But with Itachi and the Akatsuki after Kyubi...

Naruto squeezed her tightly, chasing that last thought from his mind. He didn't want to think of something like that happening to her because of him.

For the millionth time, he let out a deep, depressing sigh. The sky was getting lighter. There would be no sleep tonight for this weary soul.

* * *

Hinata woke up, pleased to find herself still wrapped up in Naruto's warm embrace. _'I could get used to this...'_ she thought with a quiet smile. The nightmare hadn't come back, and now she felt silly for stopping him last night. He had done nothing to hurt her, hadn't even gotten her clothing off yet, but as he kissed her deeply and slid his hands up and under she suddenly flashed back to those teeth and claws...and those burning eyes. _'I hope he's not mad at me for that,'_ she thought, looking up at his face. He was already awake, but apparently lost in thought. He gazed off towards the rising sun, a pained expression on his face. A pang of guilt stabbed her heart briefly. She turned her head and kissed his neck softly.

Naruto jumped as something warm touched his neck. Looking down, he met those deep eyes gazing up at him. He smiled. "Ohaiyo Hinata-chan, I hope you slept well," he said quietly, lifting her face to his and proceeding to place a number of tiny, tender kisses on her nose, chin and forehead before coming back to let their lips meet. The guilt melted away as she returned his affection, parting her lips to allow their tongues to play lightly with each other. She wondered how she could have been afraid of someone so sweet, so gentle. As they separated, he couldn't help but let a small laugh escape as she, almost predictably, let a soft blush cross her cheeks. He used to think it was weird...but was starting to find it quiet adorable. At the sound she realized she was doing it again, and buried her face in his chest as she flushed deeper, feeling her ears burning as well. This made him chuckle and squeeze her. "I will take that as a yes. Come on now..we'd better get up and get moving," he said, realizing he was embarrassing her now.

They ate and packed up quickly, both afraid of never leaving if they stayed there much longer. They wanted to cover as much ground as possible. They would still have to camp again for the night, but the sooner they delivered this medicine, the sooner they could focus on...other matters.


	4. Sanctuary

**_WARNING! This chapter contains adult content of a sexual nature. _**

**_Comments and reviews are welcome_**

**_bring on the smut! _**

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The pair made good time, managing to cover more ground then they expected. Hinata had been determined not to hold them up. The few times they did stop, she was up and ready to move all too soon. Naruto tried to insist they give her more time to reset and recover, they had been moving at a furious pace. But she would hear nothing of it. In a way he was glad-they would be at the bridge for the exchange by noon tomorrow at this rate-but he could see now the toll it was taking on her. Finally they reached a small secluded clearing and he put his foot down.

"Hinata...wait...time out please..." he managed to get out while trying to catch his breath. She stopped next to him, trying not to appear so out of wind, but failing miserably. "Why don't we stop here for the night?" he offered. "We'll be there in no time tomorrow. It's getting late..." The sky was already starting to get dark.

She looked around and nodded silently before dropping to her knees. Naruto handed her a canteen and let her drink her fill, then sat down in front of her so she could help him pull the pack off his back. She opened it carefully, checking each case inside it to make sure none of the tiny vials had shattered, zipping it shut again after she'd made sure each one was safe. Then she shoved it aside to slide forward, wrapping her arms around him from behind and resting her head on his shoulder. "I'll cook," she panted, "if you find the wood for the fire." He nodded back to her, reaching up to tousle her hair. "Deal" He got up, pulled off his jacket, then turned to help her remove her own pack. When he was finished, he kissed her softly on the forehead before running off to find the wood.

The had set up camp and finished eating in relative silence, though there was nothing awkward about it. Both were just occupied with their thoughts. Naruto's head was still full of the same doubts and worries he'd had all night. Over 12 hours later he still hadn't answered any of his questions. After dinner he had lain back, opening his arms with a smile to invite her to join him, and they were now just starting at the stars quietly. Hinata had happily assumed her new favorite spot with her ear to his chest, listening. She couldn't explain it. There was just something about his rhythm, between the strong sound of his heart and gentle rise and fall of his breath, that set her at ease. It calmed her troubled mind and made her feel safe again. She needed that now.

All day long, she decided she was going to try and be assertive. She wouldn't let him coddle her to much and she was going to see how far she could push herself. She needed to test herself. _'You coulda let up on yourself a little though...'_ she thought as she absentmindedly rubbed her sore thighs. But he had gone along with it, protesting a few times that she needed more rest and there was no need to hurry. He'd never seen her take charge like this, and figured it was not the time to argue. There had to be a reason for it.

_'You should act now, before it's too late...before your both to tired...before you lose you're will...'_ she said to herself. This had been on her mind all day. She'd fought with herself quietly before coming to the conclusion she had to at least try...

"Oi? You alright Hinata-chan?"

She startled, looking around and realizing she had pushed herself upright and had apparently been staring off into space again. Warmth rushed across her face. _'How long have I been sitting here staring? Don't panic now...just do it! just...'_

Hinata looked away from him, growing red."Yes..Na..Naruto-kun...I'm...I was" She sighed at her own cowardice creeping in again. "I'm just going to get ready for bed." She slipped out of his reach before he could make any kind of sweet gesture or remark, and kicked herself over to her belongings.

Naruto watched her for a moment, wondering what that was about. _'Bed sounds good though...'_ he agreed, deciding to stoke the fire for the night and give her a few min to herself before he came over to join her, or at least see if she wanted him to. He got up and plopped a few more logs on the fire, pushing them into place with a large stick. _'Maybe I shouldn't sleep next to her tonight...maybe I should give her some space. After all I don't want to give her anymore issues then she already has. There's no need for us to push this...maybe...'_

His thoughts were interrupted by a hand playfully mussing his hair. He was surprised to turn around and see Hinata standing there, smiling at him with her hand outstretched. She was wearing one of his black shirts, which hung loosely on her petite frame. He took her hand, rising and pulling her to him. She lifted her head, meeting his lips to hers and fitting herself into his arms. She kissed him timidly, afraid he would make her stop but couldn't resist the encouragement of his hungry mouth. He ran his hands along her back, letting them wander down, intending to pull her hips against him, to feel his desire growing. As his fingers brush along the hemline of the shirt he stopped, his breath caught in his chest. There was nothing but bare skin under his fingers. His arousal peaked at the realization that she had nothing else on but his shirt...and the implications that went along with it. He broke the kiss gently and looked down into those large, soft eyes again. "Hinata...a.."

She cut him of quickly, placing her fingers over his mouth. _'Don't let him interrupt! You'll lose your nerve!' _She simply nodded once, then moved her hand to his cheek, pulling him back into her. They explored each others mouth passionately, his fingers slipping slowly up and under the back of her shirt. Hinata busied her hands as well, sliding their way up along his chest. She met little protest as she pulled his shirt off, and she paused for a second to admire him. He wasn't exactly ripped, but his broad chest and shoulders were smooth, his stomach muscles firm and well formed. She lightly brushed her fingers over the skin, barely touching it, giggling at the trails of goose bumps she left behind. Naruto just watched her in amazement, hardly able to believe this little minx was the same timid rabbit he'd always known. She started laying soft, light kisses along his pecks, stopping now and again to tease his nipples with the tip of her tongue. His eyes rolled back at the sensation, like butterfly wings on his skin. His member throbbed and fought against their shrinking prison, he'd never been so hard before.

Hinata could feel him growing against her stomach. She was almost afraid of what she was doing...where this was going. She hadn't even seen it yet but she could tell he was quiet well endowed, and she was starting to think this might not work out so easily...

He could sense her starting to hesitate. _'Better give her some encouragement' _he thought with a grin. He slid his hand up and gently teased her breasts, tracing circles around the nipples before rubbing them between his thumb and forefinger. She let a gasp escape her lips before letting them continue to explore. She ran her fingers lightly down his abdomen, around his navel and down the soft paradise line to the edge of his pants. Naruto froze, his muscles tightened as he paid full attention to those playful fingers creeping ever so slightly in and out of the waistband. She looked up at him with a mischievous grin and then completely surprised him.

Hinata grabbed him by the top of his pants, pulled him over to the waiting blankets and firmly but gently pushed him down onto his back. She paused for a minute, enjoying the look of shock mixed with intense desire he was giving her. As he looked up, he could see just a small glimpse of fuzz peaking out of the hemline of the shirt, his shirt. _'I've never seen this side of you...'_ he thought as he grinned like an idiot, reaching up to help her down. She smiled coyly as she took it and stepped over him, lowering herself down with her legs on either side of his waist. She sat there for a moment watching him. He ran his hands up her bare thighs to those hips he'd dreamed of holding. They fit perfectly, as if they were made to go there. Meeting his gaze, she slowly reached between her legs and started to unto his pants. He sat still, rubbing his fingers along her lower back as she quietly freed him. _'Hinata...you don't have to do this'_

She gazed down at him, reading his mind as she pulled him out. _'I want to...please...let me'_ She lightly ran her hand up his exposed shaft, watching as his eyes rolled back in response. He was as hard as a steel kunai as she wrapped her fingers around him and started to massage him up and down his length. Pre-cum leaked slowly out of the tip, and she rubbed it gently into the head with her thumb, making small circles along the ridge. He squeezed her hips and sucked the air in hard through his gritted teeth, passion and lust flooding his eyes. She leaned down and hungrily met his mouth while working him between their bodies, his head against her stomach. He slid his hands up her sides, pulling the shirt off, wanting to see all of her, to have access to those luscious breasts. He broke off and brought one up to his lips and sucked hard on the nipple, rolling it around his tongue while he massaged the rest of her flesh. She responded with a light moan, her breath ragged as she let him play with her for a bit. She brushed his hands off her though, freeing herself from his grip and sliding back down his body.

Lifting herself off his waist, she pulled his clothes the rest of the way off, leaving them both bathed completely in firelight. He watched as she slowly pushed his legs apart, her breasts swinging gently as she lowered herself down into his lap. Gently, and ever so slowly, she ran her tongue up to the tip of his dick, licking along the ridge on the head, before taking it into her mouth. He clawed the ground, fighting with all his will not to explode into her then and there. She worked her way up and down slowly, pausing to tease with light flicks before taking it all the way in. "oh god..." he gasped. He was amazed she could do that, it looked so big compared to her small hands and mouth. He ran his hands through her hair, tugging gently as he fought with himself to remain in control. He wanted her so badly, wanted to flip her over and take her, claim her for himself. "Hinata..." he growled as he fought for air, the world spinning. "wait...not like this.." She had been doing everything, he wanted to repay the favor.

Hinata stopped and looked up at him, confused._ 'Did I do something wrong? I must have...' _but before she could finish that thought he had sat up and grabbed her, spinning her around so that she was lying on top of him again, but with her legs around his head now. Before she could ask what he was doing a wave a pleasure washed over her. He was teasing her clit with his tongue again while rubbing her slit with his fingers. She buried her face in his abdomen, biting gently as he sucked and licked. _'He thinks I can do this while he's doing THAT?_' she thought, her body shivering at his touch. She allowed herself to enjoy it a little longer, working him with her hand, trying not to squeeze him to hard as she let the orgasm take her away.

Naruto chuckled, his voice slightly muffled. "I see you remembered you liked that part." She fought to catch her breath, glad he couldn't see her turning red at that remark.

_'Enough playing...'_ she said to herself. She made up her mind, lifting herself off of him. She turned and kissed him, each enjoying tasting themselves on the others lips. As their mouths played, she wrapped her legs around his waist again. She was amazed at how her body seemed to ache for him as she pressed against him. His hips ground back, pressing his hardness back against her. They writhed against each other for a moment, delighting in the feel of their skin finally touching, no barriers blocking them. He reached up and pulled her away, his pleading eyes making the same argument as earlier..._'you don't have to do this...are you sure you want to do this?'_ Hinata pressed her lips against his forehead tenderly as she lifted herself up, Naruto reaching down to position himself. Their eyes met briefly as their bodies aligned and she slowly let him in...


	5. Innocence

**_I do not own Naruto._**

**_This chapter contains adult content of a sexual nature. You have been warned, don't complain otherwise._**

**_ As always, please leave comments and suggestions! I really do appreaciate them_**

**_and now...on to the smut!_**

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Hinata slid down slowly onto him, gritting her teeth as he stretched her. _'Oh god...this isn't going to work..' _she thought as it was getting harder to fight the pain and push on. _'Ten-ten said it would hurt, she said that was normal..but it got better once...'_ She froze suddenly as something gave way and her body burned in agony...

_'Oh God...'_ Naruto thought, his eyes rolling back in his head as he slowly pressed into her. The sensation was unbelievable...tight and hot...god she was tight! He couldn't believe he actually fit into her. He guided her tiny hips with his hands, fighting the urge to pull her down onto him faster when he felt it. She was about halfway down and he felt something give just before she stopped, her body tense and shaking. _'Oh my god...'_ he looked up at her, watching a tear slide silently down her cheek. _'Oh my god...I broke her...'_ he thought in horror. This wasn't supposed to hurt her, he didn't want to hurt her.

She bit her lip as she forced herself the rest of the way down. She sat there, fully impaled upon him waiting for her muscles to relax and the pain to ease. Hinata felt his hand caress her cheek, chasing the tear that has escaped her. As she gazed back down at him, she saw the fear in his eyes. _'He didn't know...he didn't know this would happen...'_ She went to move again, but he held her in place firmly, pulling himself upright and folding his legs under her so she now sat in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, kissing her neck and shoulder tenderly. "I'm sorry" was all he managed to say. _'No! This wasn't supposed to happen this way! You're not supposed to regret this!'_ She lifted his head to look her in the eyes. "There's nothing to be sorry for," she said kissing him desperately.

They attacked each other with their mouths. As he made his way along her neck she realized it had subsided for now. She rolled her hips a little, pulling out a bit and then sliding back down. She rocked slowly against him, realizing it wasn't to bad now if she was careful. Naruto had his face buried in her cleavage , one hand on her hip and the other propping himself up. He was following her lead, moving gently, guiding her with his hand. It was awkward from this position, but the restraint seemed to help her. After a little while, he pulled her legs around him and rolled her onto her back.

She gasped as he pressed down into her, turning her legs to allow him better access. He met her lips again, teasing her mouth with his tongue for a minute or two before he began to move. His movements were slow and deliberate as he rocked against her. Hinata was surprised that it really was starting to get better. The stretching was still uncomfortable, but she was beginning to enjoy how he filled her. She sighed as he nibbled her neck while reaching up with a free hand to play with her breast, tweaking the nipple gently while squeezing and massaging it. She lifted her body against his, opening her hips and rising lightly to meet his rhythm. "Oh, Naruto..." she purred breathlessly into his ear, running her nails along his back.

Naruto's blood burned at her hot breath on his ear. Her actions encouraging, he picked up the pace a little, broadening his strokes in and out. He nuzzled her chin upward, kissing her along her throat, looking for the perfect spot to leave his mark. _'I don't care who see's or who knows...you're mine...now and forever'_ She let out a surprised squeal as he bit her, a little harder this time, having found a nice tender place where her neck and shoulder met. Hinata dug her nails in long strokes into his back, leaving her own claim on his skin. Their bodies moved in unison, the pleasure overpowering the pain. Their hearts racing, his breathing ragged, her gasping in time with his thrusts. His world spinning away from him, drunk on the smell of the smoke and her hair and their union. She bit her lip again, tasting the salt of his skin there, her fingers tangled in his golden locks. Suddenly he couldn't take it anymore, and he buried himself hard into her, pushing his way as deep as he could go before exploding in a flash of white. She cried out, feeling his warmth pouring into her, shuddering as he throbbed to give her everything he had.

They lay there, dizzy and spent, clinging to each other in the cool night air. They stayed joined briefly, till he decided he must be crushing her, and reluctantly removed himself to collapse at her side. She reached for him, shivering in the darkness, wrapping herself in his arms. He fumbled behind him for a lose blanket, pulling it haphazardly around them. Before long, the two lovers were asleep, surrounded by the chorus of the nighttime forest.

* * *

They awoke in the same position they had fallen asleep in.. They lay there quietly, their hands playing and tracing their fingers along the lines on each others palms. Naruto pulled her tightly too him suddenly. "Are you alright?" he asked her quietly, his voice cracking on the words. Her cheeks warmed as she snuggled against him. She knew he wasn't talking about her head this time. She was terribly sore, her inner thighs were bruised from where his hips had rubbed them, and he had made her bleed. He was angry with himself still, angry because he hadn't had to suffer like she had. She placed a forgiving kiss on his shoulder before giving him a squish. "It's ...it's not as bad as it seems." He sighed deeply and she looked up to meet those sad blue pools. "I'll be alright, Naruto-kun. Just...sore for a little while." He nodded and squeezed her back. She knew he wouldn't believe her, not for a few days anyways. 

It wasn't even really his fault. She had been the one to push for it. She still couldn't believe she had done that, that she had actually seduced him. After the chuunin exams, Kurenai and Anko had taken turns pulling hinata and the other girls aside for kunoichi lessons, discussing some of the highly specialized types of missions that only a female shinobi could accomplish. The girls didn't think they'd ever be able to forget the quite detailed lessons they'd learned on seduction spying. Hinata was terrified by it all at the time, the thought that she could be forced to go to some other country and live as a concubine or a courtesan for the sole purpose of gathering information for Konoha. Kurenai had consoled her on this, stating that it was mostly only female ANBU members that went on those kinds of missions. "And besides," her sensei had said with a mischievous grin, "we just want our girls prepared...you never know when this kind of stuff might come in handy."

_'Well it certainly did last night'_

He was playing absentmindedly with her hair now, twisting the silky strands around his fingers. It was relaxing, and she soon found herself quietly fidgeting with the necklace of Tsunades he always wore. His "luck charm" he had declared proudly the first time she had asked him about it, and he told her the story in great detail. _'When did I suddenly become so comfortable around him?'_ she wondered, thinking back on the last 48 hours. She had been so wound up before, she couldn't believe she was now calmly lying in his arms, both of them still nude, as if this was how it always was. _'Ten-ten will be proud of me.'_ Out of the girls, Ten-ten was her closest friend. Ino and Sakura were always to excitable. But Ten-Ten was strong, quiet, and intelligent, everything that Hinata wanted to be. They had spent many evenings together hiding out from the others, having giggly conversations about their respective crushes. Hinata had sat with rapt attention as her glowing friend told her of the night her and Neji finally got together, slightly horrified but hungry for this info. "I know, it sounds awful," she had giggled, catching the look in her eyes, "but trust me, it's not that bad. If he's gentle you can get over it, and you'll heal quickly in a few days. After that it's nothing like the first time, it only gets better." They had bumped into each other as she ran home to pack for this mission, and she couldn't forget the excitement in her friends voice as she explained what just happened. "This is your perfect chance! You've got to take advantage of this! Tell him how you feel! How you've always felt!" she had urged. Ten-ten was waiting for her now, expecting a full report when they got back. She giggled quietly at that, wondering what the reaction will be when she hears this story.

The two stayed there a bit, amusing themselves by comparing their skin tones to each other, his golden tan to her creamy ivory, before deciding it was time to get moving. They would take their time today, for her sake.

* * *

They were only a few hours away from the designated rendezvous point. Their orders were to bring the medicine to the end of the bridge, where a team of medical ninja would meet them and accept the delivery. Due to the highly infectious nature of the illness, there was a quarantine in effect and no one was allowed in or out. Tsunade had provided them with masks and gloves to wear for the exchange, as well as a painful dose of the medicine. "We can't allow you to bring this back to our village with you. Get there, make the drop off, and get out." They transferred the items to their pockets, they would wait to put them on till they were on their final approach. 

Even at a light pace it was hard going for poor Hinata. Just walking was uncomfortable, and this time it didn't let up the more she kept at it. Naruto looked sheepish. It was all his fault she was having a hard time, and they still had to turn around and head home. He was ecstatic over the two of them being together, but he was ashamed that his pleasure had hurt her so badly. He had been horrified when he saw the blood and bruising on her thighs this morning. It never dawned on him that girls had to go thru that. She had tried repeatedly to put him at ease, "It's normal...you did nothing wrong...it's not as bad as it looks." but to him it looked like he'd forced himself on her, violated her, broken her.

_'Maybe when we get back i can find someone to talk to...to make sure...'_ But who? Ero-sennin was the first one to come to mind, after all...he made his living off of being a perverted lech. If anyone would know it would be him! But, as was typical, he was anywhere but in the village. Kakashi was away constantly on high rank missions as well. Iruka-sensei? He was the closest thing to a father Naruto had ever known. Would he be so understanding over this? He gave a frustrated sigh, _'I'm running out of people here...maybe I'm thinking wrong. Maybe if I asked another girl..._' He couldn't dare ask Granny-Tsunade, she'd kill him if she found out he'd used a mission to further his sexlife...that only left Sakura. Would she take him seriously? Be honest and tell him if he was really the teme-bastard he felt like? _'Or would she be mad at me for giving up on her?'_ His head was beginning to hurt from all this thinking over the last 2 days.

A small hand slipped into his own, the fingers entwining with his and squeezing gently, reassuringly. She smiled at him, those deep eyes probing him for a sign that he's ok, that he trusts her. She was being more insistent than usual. Maybe she was being honest with him, that she was going to be ok. He'd never known her to lie, why should she start now? He raised her hand and lightly brushed his lips to it, watching as she looked away, that clarion glow rising. His heart melted, that simple reaction giving him all the assurance he needed. He smiled as he squeezed her hand back. She would be alright..._THEY_ would be alright.

_**TBC...**_

_**this is as far as I've gotten so far. by popular demand I am in the process of finishing this storyline. check back later for updates! **_


	6. Secret

**_Thanks to all those that have commented! As well as to those who will in the future. Arigato!_**

**_This one took longer then the previous chapters, hope it was worth the effort. Enjoy!_**

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The landscape changed before them as they made their way to the rendezvous point. It started as a misty haze hanging between the trees, until soon there was more fog then trees. As they finally left the tree line and gazed down the slope to the calm shoreline, the pair paused to put on their protective gear. Because this illness was typically so rare, it wasn't completely known how it was initially contracted. Of course close contact with those infected always did the trick, but so many in this village were affected so suddenly it was believed that possibly someone somewhere had orchestrated the outbreak, possibly tainting the food or water supply. As such, the duo were instructed that once they leave the forest they must use extreme caution at all times. They couldn't replenish supplies or gather water, and they were to make no contact with anyone other then the exchange team. The only thing they were allowed to accept was the payment

_Get in, Drop off, Get out._

After following the shoreline for another two hours, the shape of the large bridge finally started to appear. "ALRIGHT! YEAH! WE'RE HERE!" Naruto cried out, bouncing around exuberantly. As he did his victory dance, Hinata froze in terror. "Na...Naruto-kun...wait...please...the vials!" He fell over face first at this, having completely forgotten about the fragile contents of his bag. "If you break those, we'll have ruined the whole mission...it...it'll be a total failure," she said softly, almost afraid to check the pack. She crept over slowly, unzipping the bag while Naruto prayed he hadn't blown the whole thing. The cases looked intact, and none of them appeared to be leaking. "It looks ok...we'll just have to wait till they inspect them to see." He let out a sigh of relief. "Then lets get over there and get rid of this stuff already."

To their surprise, there was no one waiting for them at the bridge. Posters declaring "Quarantined" and "Do not enter" in blood red ink were posted all over it. "Oi, I wonder where they are?" Naruto pondered aloud, trying to peer through the heavy fog. Hinata engaged her Byakugan and scanned their surroundings. "There's a team of 5 at the other end of the bridge, they've barricaded the entrance to the village...it must be worse then we thought." He looked puzzled. "But we were ordered not to cross the bridge for any reason...and I doubt they can see us in this mist...how are we supposed to make the exchange?" he asked. She released her jutsu and looked around the bridge. "There's a flare gun by that post. Maybe they want us to signal with that?" "It's worth a shot," he said with a grin. She groaned at the pun as he picked it up and fired a bright blue flare into the sky. Within seconds the 5 shinobi had crossed the bridge. They wore medical uniforms and also donned masks and gloves.

"Are you the team with the medicine?" asked the tallest one, a kunai in his hand. "If not I will have to ask that you leave, or force you if you refuse." His eyes almost pleaded with them above the mask, hoping he wouldn't have to get rough.

"Hai, it's us. We've come from the Hokage with the medicine you need." Naruto replied, slipping the heavy bundle off his back for the last time. He set it carefully on the ground and stepped back a ways. The tall medic stepped forward, opening the bag and drawing out the cases, setting them in a line in front of him. He then opened each one, running his hand over every vial tucked inside and checking the instructions attached to the lids. After he was sure they were intact, he started handing them to the others behind him, instructing them on what part of town to take them and to start dispensing it immediately. As he rose, he kept the last two cases with him and sighed to our heros. "We've lost 27 people to this disease...our hospital is overflowing...and the streets are full of women wailing over children they fear will never get to grow up. We will probably lose more before this is over," he looked back at them, a glimmer of hope in his eyes "but now that you've comewe have a chance. I hope someday we can truly repay you for saving this village." He tossed a heavy purse to naruto, who was surprised at how full it was. The shinobi then bowed deeply in gratitude before taking off to help his people.

They looked at each other somberly for a moment, thinking about what he had said. Hinata then slowly reached over, taking the purse and counting the money inside. "This can't be right..." she said, looking at him confused. "This is more then twice what Tsunade-sama asked for...we...we can't accept this." Naruto was staring at the bridge again, thinking of the old bridge builder and the people he met, how before they learned to stand up for themselves they lived in fear and poverty. He had to trick them into taking a dangerous mission because they couldn't afford to pay for real protection. Then he and his team had arrived and gave them hope again. His first mission, only a few years back. How this place had changed. He said a silent prayer for these people. "Maybe," he said...his voice wavering for a moment, "maybe they felt they needed to repay an old debt."

He took her hand and smiled at her with his eyes. "Come on, lets go home."

* * *

For the most part the trip home was pleasant. Naruto told long, exaggerated stories about the missions he's been on, while Hinata happily listened. He'd question her about things she's done, techniques she was working on, or what she wanted to do with her life. But she was never quiet so good at sharing. So she kept finding ways to get the subject back on him and being content to let him ramble on. She was just glad he was acting more like the loud and hyper Naruto, instead of worrying about what had happened that night. In the dark he would hold her protectively, keeping her warm and safe till the dawn. They would stop to play every now and again, the need to touch and taste each other getting the best of them. But he didn't take her again that trip, and she didn't push the issue. He said he wanted to make sure she was better, that next time he would do it right. She'd started to protest but he'd quiet her with his lips, making her forget what she was going to say.

On last day he was quiet again, and she could tell something was bothering him. Finally, with only an hour or two left before they reached the village walls he stopped. Naruto stood there with his head down, his right hand clenched in a fist. She called to him quietly, but he wouldn't answer. "Naruto-kun? Pl..please...you're scaring me." she said softly...placing a hand on his cheek and trying to get him to look at her. As he lifted his head to look at her, she was startled to see his eyes red and bloodshot, tears sliding down his chin. "I'm sorry," he whimpered back, angrily wiping at his face. He collapsed to his knees, burying his face against her soft belly and crying, his arms wrapped tightly around her. She hugged his head, confused, her own tears welling up even though she didn't know what was wrong. "N...Naruto...please...tell me what's wrong...please." Again she grabbed his chin, trying to get him to look at her. It was terrifying to watch him fall apart like this...he who had always been so strong and confident..the one she'd admired for so long. "Please!" she cried, her voice desperate and shaking, "Please stop...you..you're scaring me Naruto!" "I'm sorry," he said again, squeezing her. "I just wish I could be the man you deserve."

This jolted her, and she looked down at him in disbelief. "Wh...what are you talking about? What's going on?" He was wiping his face again, so she took the moment to kneel down in front him, grabbing his head in her hands and making him look at her. "I don't understand," she cried, tears running down her own cheeks. "Naruto...please what is wrong" He touched his forehead to hers, taking her wrist in his right hand and placing his left arm around her waist. "You're family," he sighed, and the realization hit her like a ton of bricks before he even finished his sentence. "You're family would never except me, cause I'm just a loud, obnoxious fuck-up who gets lucky every once in a while."

He moved his hand gingerly to her neck, to the mark he had made to claim her. It was still dark and purple, the teeth marks making a dotted border around the bruise. _'Why did you do that?'_ he asked himself angrily. _'Why did you have to make sure it would last for all to see, in a spot that wasn't easy to cover? Her father will be furious with her, and I'm was pretty sure the men of both the main and the lower house will hunt you down for ruining her.'_

Hinata swallowed hard and closed her eyes. She knew he was probably right. She hadn't even thought of any of this. Her mind raced as she tried to think, tried to breath. And then it just slipped out of her mouth. When she opened her eyes he was looking at her, startled at what he'd heard. "What did you say?" he asked, incredulous that he could think she would say such a think. She blinked for a moment before looking him in the eye and saying it again.

"I don't care"

"Hina..." he started to reply when she interrupted, the words just bursting out of her

"I don't care anymore, Naruto. I've spent my whole life trying to live up to their expectations...failing miserably," she said, looking away in shame. "I've finally done something for myself, to make me happy. I love you dammit...and...and if they have a problem with it well..." her nerve starting to run out on her, "well...then I'll run away and leave them behind." She brushed her own tears away angrily. "It's not like they ever really cared about me anyways."

He was shocked. He knew that things in her family weren't perfect. Neji had hated her so much that he tried to kill her during the chuunin exams. _'But things were better now, right? And her father...her father may be strict, but surely he loved her. They must love her...right?'_

They clung to each other, each sniffling and trying to stop. His head still swimming from her declaration. Finally he whispered, "Is this really what you want?"

She nodded slowly into his chest. "For a long time...yes."

"Alright then." he said with a small smile.

She looked up at him questioningly. He kissed her tenderly. "This is our secret then. We'll only tell our closest friends, and swear them to keep it quiet as well. At least..." he looked down into those soft opaline orbs again, "at least until I'm good enough to stand up to your father."

She blushed at him, the claret rising in her cheeks fast. "Our secret," she agreed as he pulled her soft lips to his, sealing their pact with a kiss. They lingered for a moment, fighting the urge to sneak into the bushes to consummate the agreement with something more before reluctantly separating themselves. He picked her up off the ground, and taking her hand, headed for home.

_**TBC...**_


	7. Homecoming

**_Hope you like this one! Trying to have some fun with these next two chapters. I'm coming out with about a chapter a day, so check back often._**

**_Please comment and review!_**

* * *

"Oi! Naruto!"

They were on the final approach back into the village when they were quite suddenly joined by a group of 4 medical-nin. Actually, they weren't quite "joined" as they were more surrounded by them. They were dressed in full surgical garb, and while the voice was terribly familiar, it was hard to tell which one she was. Suddenly the one in front dropped back, green eyes smiling above the surgical mask.

"Dobe! Where have you been! Me and Tsunade have been worried about you two." She yelled.

Naruto laughed. It sounded like she was angry, but he could hear the relief in her voice. "I missed you too, Sakura-chan. What's with that get-up?" She tossed him a set of surgical masks. "You two have to put those on. We're under orders from Hokage-sama to take you directly to the hospital for your debriefing. No stops, no talking to anyone. We're going to go right through the gate and straight there, ok?" The pair nodded, though Sakura caught the worried look on Hinata's face as she fit the mask over her mouth and nose. "It's ok, Hinata. You didn't do anything wrong. It's all precautionary. We're really happy you guys made it back." the last sentence coming out wrong...almost as if they didn't expect them to. Before he could ask for further explanation she moved up the to front again and the group hurried past the gate in flash.

They made for the rooftops, flying across the village quickly as she led them to the back entrance of the hospital, one that neither of them ever really remembered seeing before. Heading through the door it led into a large clean room. Two of the escort hung back to guard the door, Sakura taking Hinata by the arm while the other grabbed Naruto. "Ok you two, some quick things we gotta take care of before talking to Tsunade. I know this is gonna be awkward but, just try and go along with it." she said just as she whisked her off through one door and he got sucked through the other.

Hinata was about 30 seconds from passing out. There was a small privacy screen, a shower, a chair, and a laundry hamper in this room. On the chair was a folded pair of hospital pajamas. Sakura's eyes smiled gently above the mask at her as she suddenly started pulling the bag off her shoulders and reaching for her clothing. "This...this is most unusual, Sakura-chan...please...what's going on?" The bag was tossed unceremoniously into the hamper before she turned to grab the jacket. "Hokage's orders, you guys have to go through decon first. I'll need you to give me your clothes and get into the shower." Hinata froze, holding her jacket tightly around her, staring at her friend with a look of terror.

Naruto was going through the same thing in the other room. His marks were lighter, so he didn't have to explain anything as he dutifully handed over his clothing, watching it be tossed into a similar laundry hamper, and then stepped into the shower. The warm water felt wonderful, as did every first shower back from a mission out in the field, but he couldn't relax to enjoy this one. He was waiting for the scream to come when Sakura found the bruising and the bite. _'So much for finding a tactful way to tell her'_ he thought, figuring their secret was moments away from being reveled to everyone.

_'What's wrong with this girl?'_ Sakura thought to herself as she helped her friend out of her jacket. _'It's not like I've never seen her naked.'_ She had taken care of her on different occasions when the kunoichi had come back from a few missions in varying degrees of injury. As she started to tell her to take off her shirt she noticed it, a dark bruise along the clavicle. She instinctively reached for it to get a better look and then paused. _'That's not a normal bruise, that's a...'_ she looked up suddenly, realizing what was wrong with her bashful friend. Thinking quickly she shoved her behind the screen, turned on the water, and stepped around to the other side. "Just hand me your clothes and then step into the shower." she yelled over her shoulder. "There's soap and shampoo in there, just make sure you scrub everything good." Hinata was surprised, but didn't waste anytime getting undressed and in the water. She was afraid if she took to long the pink haired girl would try and do it herself again. The bruises on her thighs were fading already, they hadn't been to dark to begin with. But the boy was an exuberant lover, and had left quite a number of choice marks along her breasts and shoulders that would be hard to explain. _'If I had known this was gonna happen...'_ she thought as the warm water caressed her body. She sighed, hoping that she wasn't going to have to explain herself. She had figured Naruto would tell her soon anyways, she just never thought she was going to have to show anyone else what he had done to her, let alone Sakura.

Sakura waited quietly, twisting the towel in her hands nervously and thinking. It was obvious what they had done based purely on Hinata's reaction. What wasn't so obvious was what this meant. She knew the girl had pined for him for years now, but she was so skiddish, so shy. And he being the dobe he was had always been completely clueless. Even if he had just come to the realization she liked him, would she let him do that to her? Or had something else happened? She thought of the way she had pulled her clothes around her, the trepidation in her eyes. She'd seen that behavior before in a few unlucky women who've come into the hospital, and she didn't like to think on it. _'He wouldn't dare...not Naruto'_ she thought to herself. _'There must be something more to this.. He's an idiot, but he'd never do anything like that.'_

"Hinata," she called to her softly. "You're ok right? Nothing...happened on the mission that I might need to know about, like any injuries or accidents?" _'or perverted bastards taking advantage of a sweet, innocent girl?'_ She was peeking around the screen now at the showering girl. There was no door or curtain on the stall, so she could see the marks on her pale skin. She had a few large bruises across her back that looked like she'd taken some kind of blow, but the rest were definitely from something more intimate. Nothing on her wrists or shoulders looked like she'd been forced down, but she could see discoloration on the inner thighs that looked like it'd already mostly healed. _'Please tell me it's not what I'm thinking...'_

Naruto was getting nervous over this whole thing. After he got out of the shower, he was made to put on a pair of pajamas and slippers and that damn mask again, given another painful shot, and was now playing "20 questions" with that damn medic. 'No I didn't eat or drink anything in the water country.' "Yes we wore our masks and gloves' 'No we didn't make any physical contact with anyone' What the hell was going on here? And he was worried about poor Hinata. About the only privacy he was getting over here was the fact that the girls had gone off into a separate room. They were probably doing the same thing to her, had probably found the marks all over her. She was probably in tears, pleading his case, begging them not to tell her family. He could picture the lynch mob waiting for him already. He wasn't sure who to be more afraid of at this point: the entire Hyuga clan...or Granny Tsunade and Sakura-chan.

Hinata was out of the shower and dressed now too. Sakura had given her a shot as well, and was now busy checking out the other's head injury. _'There had been a mudslide and I fell down the ravine...Naruto saved me but not until after I slammed against the wall a few times'_ she was thinking back on that explanation as she worked. There was still had a large lump on the back of her skull, and our budding doctor was using her chakra to check the damage and heal what of it she could. "Looks like you sustained a minor concussion, which would explain the headaches, blurred vision and fainting spells, but it's not too bad. It'll be completely healed in no time." she said as she finished up, wrapping a bandage around it her head for good measure. The injuries seemed to back up the story, but she couldn't help but keep looking at that mark on her collarbone. The shirt did nothing to cover it. "Do you...want me to take a look at that bruise?" Sakura offered gently, hoping to get some kind of answer as to what happened. Hinata's hand shot up to cover it as she blushed furiously. "You...you can do something about it?" Those green eyes smiled gently again over the mask. "Probably, how did you get it? Is it from the fall...or...something else?" The cheeks got redder, those pale eyes looked away, and then a hint of smile crept across those trembling lips. Sakura let out a sigh of relief and a slight giggle. _'If she can smile about it, it must be fine. Although I'm still going to have to yell at the dobe later...scare some sense into that boy about being more careful'_ "It's ok...I won't say anything. If anyone asks it's from the fall." She squeezed the others shoulder gently before grabbing some more gauze and covering the bruise. Hinata looked surprised, then a wave of relief flooded through her as she reached up and squeezed the hand back. "Arigato, Sakura-chan," she said with a smile and a sigh.

They were reunited in the hallway. Naruto looked like a caged animal. If they had taken any longer he probably would have been climbing the walls. His fear turned to concern when his angel appeared wrapped in bandages. Sakura, unable to resist herself, took this opportunity to ream him out about throwing girls off a cliff then dragging them through the woods with concussions. He was surprisingly relieved to be getting his head chewed off about it, but he still tried to look ashamed about it. She then gave him a shove towards the end of the hallway. "Come on, Hokage-samma is waiting for us"

At the end of the hallway, Tsunade was pacing back and forth. She too was clad in full surgical attire, complete with the little paper slippers. When Naruto appeared she had to fight to keep from squeezing the hell out of him. She hated to admit it to anyone, but she was terribly fond of that brat. "Oi! Granny-Tsunade! What's up with all this? Is something wrong?" She twitched at his name for her. _'If anyone else ever dreamed of calling me that...'_ she chuckled softly. God she really had been worried about him. She took the charts that were handed to her and looked them over. _'Looks like everything had gone well. This should be pointless then, but we can't take that risk.'_ She looked back up at the confused pair and smiled.

"First off, I would just like to say thank you for completing this mission as quickly as you did. I know it didn't seem like much, but believe me, what you've done is nothing to be laughed at. The people of the water nation, as well as your fellow Konoha ninja thank you deeply." She watched as they looked at each other, even more confused now. She chuckled to herself, wishing they didn't have the masks on so she could better see their response to what she was about to say next.

"And now, you two will get to take the next week off from missions to recover, spent relaxing here in our special... Quarantine unit"

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**_I know...you hate me for leaving it like this...i'm such a tease giggles Already a goodly way thru the next chapter, should be up tomorrow morning. Check back often! And thanks again for the reviews!_**  



	8. Separation

**_Ah yes...a lot of people are interested in this little chappie. To quote a responce from a reply left ont his posting on TONFA:_**

**quarantine... where nothing may come in or out... except maybe(insert corny sex joke here).**

**_ You're all gonna hate me for this one evil gryn _**

* * *

"And now, you two will get to take the next week off from missions to recover, spent relaxing here in our special... Quarantine unit" 

"WHAT!" They both screamed. Hinata looked faint again and grabed the rail on the hospital wall for support, while Naruto began a verbal tirade. Tsunade stood quietly with her arms folded, secretly enjoying this scene. They reacted as expected for them, which she took as a good sign that they probably weren't infected. She waited quietly till he ran out of air and she managed to stand on her own again. "Are you finished?" They nodded meekly. "Good. Now, as explained before you left, we have no idea how this disease was spread. We have to be sure that you haven't brought it back before we allow you to wander and interact with the general population. Especially since Hinata has been having dizziness and headaches, which are symptoms."

"But...but Sakura said that was from my concussion." Hinata spoke up timidly. She hated the thought that they would be locked up because of her stupidity. Their blonde leader nodded at that line of reason."That's probably true, however, we can't take that chance." They stood in silence, knowing she was right. "It's a part of accepting these types of missions. We use this unit more often then you realize. Don't worry, it won't be as bad as you think. And besides, it's paid for." Naruto's head perked up at that. "We're being paid to lay around locked in a room all week?" He knew it made him sound like a money grubber, but the truth is when you live on your own with no one to help support you, you learn how important money really is really fast. That and, it didn't sound half bad when he realized he'd be spending it with Hinata. "Well...yes and no." she replied with a grin. "Yes you both will be paid to "lay around all week", but you won't be together in one room. We have to separate you, the Hyuga clan would have my head if I locked their heir in a bedroom with a teenage boy for a night, let alone a week!" The pair blushed at that one...when this woman had a point...she really had a point. _'And I see there might be good reason on that one'_ she thought with amusement.

With everything said they were escorted into their rooms. They were actually more like suites. There was a comfortable sitting area, a small kitchenette, bathroom, and of course a sleeping area. There was a large window along the wall showing into the corridor with a small intercom box. There was also a small hatch set into the door so that if needs be, food or such could be passed in and out of the room. They could communicate with the outside world, as long as they talked into the box. With a last wave to each other, they stepped in and the doors were locked behind.

Naruto looked around his new home for the next week. _'I suppose it could be worse'_ he thought to himself, and decided to raid the fridge. It was pretty well stocked, but damn his luck, no ramen. Looks like he was expected to eat right for his incarceration. His stomach growled. He was always hungry on missions, never enough time to really stop and eat. He fixed himself a huge sandwich and grabbed the carton of milk to start off with, wondering what Hinata was up to next door.

Hinata stood there, dumbfounded. Locked away for the next 7 days. With him so close by, and still out of reach. She was still thinking about Sakura and if she really would keep quiet. Then again, who would she tell and what? She'd seen some marks, but she didn't have any details, and Sakura was to smart to go around spreading rumors with no information. She ripped off that stupid surgical mask and then went to plop down on the bed with a sigh. At least she wouldn't have to worry about hiding any marks by the time she could go home. She felt like crap though. Her head hurt from being so worked up, her arm was now sore and she was tired. It wasn't long before she had fallen asleep on top of the blankets, hugging the pillow and wishing it was someone else.

The two women watched their "guests" settle into their rooms, the older one paying particular attention to the more delicate of the two. It was only late afternoon and she seemed to be exhausted already. Not to mention the uncharacteristic rosiness to her cheeks after she tore off her mask, one that had nothing to do with being shy._ 'She's probably just overwhelmed...it could be any number of reasons'_ Still, it was unsettling to her. She turned to look down at her young apprentice. "Are you sure that you can take care of these two for the next few days?" Sakura nodded, eager to take on this chance. Tsunade smiled at her. "I don't expect any problems. This is probably all overkill, but..." she glanced back at the sleeping Hyuga. "If anything should happen, or you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to call me" She stole one last glance at Naruto, who had parked himself in front of the fridge and was rummaging for something else to help fill that endless void of a stomach he had, before heading off to attend her other work.

* * *

A few hours later, Sakura sat at the desk in her small room across the hall from the captives. She had changed from the surgical getup and was lounging around in her typical hospital attire now, a simple wrap around tunic and scrub pants. She only needed the mask and gloves now if she needed to go into their rooms for any reason. It was purely a babysitting job, but she was thrilled to have the experience in the lockdown ward. Tsunade had come to her about it just after the mission started, and she'd been spending all her time since brushing up on protocol and getting everything ready. She didn't expect it to be an exciting week, but she'd get to harass Naruto again, and could catch up on her studies. On the training rotation she was on every month she was in a different department on a different shift. She could go from being on 12 hour nights in the nursery to day shift in emergency without getting home to sleep. The pace was grueling but she loved the intellectual stimulation. Her friends were always off on missions, but she got to see them when they needed patching up. She was never good at protecting others (or herself for that matter), but she was glad she could take care of them when they needed her. 

As she finished their intake paperwork, she heard a buzzing noise emanating from somewhere on the desk. Shoving aside the piles of papers, scrolls and medical texts she finally found the call box. It was flashing for the hospital door. She glanced up at the clock, surprised to see it so late already. She got up and hurried to the door to let them in. She hit the intercom there to make sure it was them and not any of the medical staff first. "Can I help you?" she called into the box.

"Housekeeping! You want mint on pillow?" squeaked a very bad impersonation of a female voice, followed by a small bark. Sakura rubbed her temples and pushed the release button on the lock. "Get in here so I can slap you, Kiba." The door opened and he looked at her, grinning like an idiot with Akamaru perched on his head. "What? I thought it was hysterical!" Shino just stood behind him, shaking his head quietly. She looked at the shaggy dobe and couldn't help but giggle. "Save it for Naruto. He'll laugh his ass off. Come on, we've got them chained up over here." He stopped and looked at her surprised. "You guys really do that in here?" She shook her head as she continued down the hall. "Baka...did you bring what I asked?" Shino held up a large bag in reply. "Right here. Neji and Tenten will be along later" Sakura smiled. "Good, I hope this will cheer them up. They've been a bit down since they got back." Kiba jumped in again "Can you blame them? I know I couldn't stand coming back to be tossed in a cage, right Akamaru?" the small fuzzy hood ornament yapped back in reply.

She stopped by the first window, peeking in at the sleeping form on the bed. "Here's Hinata. She's been there ever since she got in." She pointed to the intercom box. "Why don't you guys try and talk to her, I'll go pester Naruto." Shino opened the bag, removed a few small cartons, then handed the rest over to her. He then set the cartons in the hatch box and pushed it through into the room. Kiba hit the box and called into it, "Oi! Sleeping beauty! Your princes have arrived! And we come bearing take out!"

Sakura carried the heavy bag down to the next window. Counting the cartons, she hoped it would be enough for him. As she looked up to rap on the window she was surprised by what she saw. Sitting in a circle on the floor were 6 Naruto's in hospital pajamas playing poker for peanuts. Not only that but apparently two of them were arguing, apparently accusing each other of cheating. She laughed as she hit his intercom. "Hey! I thought we told you you were supposed to be in there alone?" 6 sets of blue eyes landed on her with sheepish grins. They all called out at the same time "What are you talking about? There's no one in here but ME!" She shook her head at him with a chuckle. "God I'm surrounded by wiseasses." He released his bushin and came over to the window as she dropped the bag into the hatch and shoved the box through. "Here, I had Kiba and Shino pick you up something." He looked down at the familiar bag and a smiled wide at his favorite smell. "RAMEN! Oh Sakura I could kiss you!" He proceeded with his happy ramen dance before shouting out a cheerful "Itadakimasu!", and with a snap of the chopsticks commenced the stuffing of his face. She watched him for a moment, surprised by how much she had missed his antics. Her reverie was interrupted by the buzzing of the door again. She left to go let them in.

* * *

Neji and Tenten followed Sakura down the hallway to the others. Hinata's heart leapt at seeing them, and she stood from the stool she was sitting on and pressed her hands up against the glass as her friend ran up to it, placing hers over the same spot. "Welcome back!" she cried. "We were worried about you! And looks like for good reason too...what did you do fall off a cliff?" Hinata smiled and blushed, bringing a laugh from the other girl. "Oh Hinata...what are we going to do with you?" "Apparently lock me up in the hospital." she joked back softly. 

Neji smiled, watching the two talk. He was glad his cousin had found such a close friend in Tenten, it was good for both of the girls. He looked carefully at his little relative, she did look pretty beat up with her head wrapped and that bandage on her neck. She looked pretty tired too. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. Tsunade had explained to Hiashi that it was necessary to keep her for observation after this mission regardless of injury, and he had relented. If she had come home looking like this, it would have troubled her father to no end. At least this way she could recover in private. Suddenly his ears picked up something he definitely didn't want to hear them talking about. "No, I think you're alright. You're probably just getting your period. Whenever I start getting mine I always..." "Oi, Shino..." Kiba cut in quickly. "Did you hear that? I think Naruto is calling us. You heard it didn't you Neji?" They all nodded emphatically and then hurried down to join Sakura at the other window.

Tenten giggled wickedly as the boys practically ran away from them while Hinata hid her face, unable to keep from laughing. "Works every time...and now that I have you alone..." she raised an accusing eyebrow at the convict. Hinata looked down and started poking her fingers together, "um...well..." She was cut off by an exasperated sigh. "Hinata! You can't be serious!" Tenten watched her fidget some more, then gasped as the other girl looked her in the eye and then smiled. "No!" She whispered into the box. A small nod and a deep blush came in response. "Get out, you're messing with me now" she said, unable to stop the smile from crossing her lips, wondering if she's just saying this to make her happy. She watched as slowly the shy one reached up, undid the top button of her shirt, and briefly pulled it aside to reveal a few good sized hickies. Tenten squealed, clapping her hands over her mouth so fast she nearly knocked herself over. Hinata ducked under the window to hide in case the others came running over at that outburst, completely mortified.

The others looked over at the sudden outburst, Tenten in hysterics on the floor and the empty space in the window where Hinata had been. "Hey! What's going on out there?" Naruto called to them. "I don't think you want to know," Kiba chimed in. "When we left them they were saying something about her period." All four males suddenly shuddered in unison. Sakura raised an eyebrow...she knew that trick too. "Well if that's the case I'd better go make sure she has everything she needs" she said calmly, knowing in about 5 seconds they'd be squirming at the thought of the conversation the girls weren't having.

She snuck up behind Tenten who was up and at the callbox again, making some crack about 'no wonder you're so tired' She put her arm around her, leaning in close. "Ok you two...if you keep this up the whole hospital's going to know." Hinata was still hiding but nodded in agreement. The brunette giggled in Sakura's ear. "You knew?" Sakura smirked. "Who do you think had to make sure she showered? You should see what he did to her! That boy was an animal apparently." "Yeah..." Hinata sighed, not realized she'd said it out loud, causing the speaker to explode in giggles again, and her to continue hiding. "Ok...ok enough now" the pink hair said...trying to get a grip here. "This is hardly the time or place for this talk. When she gets out, we'll meet up someplace without an audience and can discuss this like grown women." Hinata climbed up and begged them quickly and quietly as she could through the machine, "Please don't tell anyone. It's a secret, we don't want anyone else to know." They agreed, then Sakura proceeded to chase everyone out saying it was too late. Tenten grabbed Neji, wrapping herself around his arm with a grin like a Cheshire cat. He placed a hand fondly on hers. "I take it she's better then she looks?" "Trust me" she replied, "your cousin is going to be just fine"

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**_I know I know! NO SMUT! Awwww...poor babys. People get mad at me when I want to end the story after the smut, then they want to lynch me when i get too into the story and forget the smut._**

**_ Don't worry my fans, it's cumming. Things are gonna get nice and dirty in a bit. :) _**

**_ One things I could use some help with:_**

**_ I am taking suggestions for Hinata's pet name. I don't know a lot of cutsey Japanese pet names so I'm hoping someone out there could help me. Something like sweetness, angel, dear heart, beloved..but in japanese._**

**_ Oh, and if you come up with a good one for Naruto as well kewl. See if we can get something good for her to squeal during orgasim :-P Leave 'em in the reply box! I love you guys too_**


	9. Sweat

**_First off let me start with my apologies. Since I started this story I've managed to pop out a chapter a day on it. Well I just came down with one of those icky summer colds, and between the headaches and naps it took me forever to squeeze this one off. I'm not sure if I'm totally happy with it because of how crappy i currently feel. So if this chapter sucks, blame the NyQuil. If you love it...well...my fever adled brain appreaciates it :)_**

**_ Thanks again for all the comments! And the name suggestions have been a big help! (giggles) I think i'll just call her squishy (giggles to herself some more as the NyQuil kicks in again)_**

**_I don't own Naruto...but I sure woudln't mind if Gaara owned me... (evil gryn) _**

* * *

They were all a bit sad to see the visitors go, but truth was they were all a bit tired. Hinata went and fell back in bed, leaving the food her companions had brought her largely untouched and sitting on the table. She was asleep again in no time. Sakura had gone back to joke with Naruto some more, before they both started yawning and decided to turn in. Naruto watched her through the window as she went across the hall again, leaving him alone in his prison. He felt guilty. He really wanted to talk to her some more, to tell her about what had happened and see if she had any advice/comfort for his troubled mind. But the topic was awkward enough, let alone having to discuss it through a speaker box. He sighed as he went and threw himself onto the bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to make heads or tails of everything. It wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep. 

He woke up with a jump, looking around and trying to figure out where he was. It was dark, and there was a loud rhythmic rushing sound coming from down the corridor along with the constant dripping of water. It was hot in here, and the air tasted of smoke and sulfur. It was oddly familiar, but he couldn't quite figure out where he was. He heard a low rumble, surprised to see an orange glowcoming from that direction. He got up and made his way down, blinking as he stepped into the light. It was a large room, so large that it didn't seem to have a ceiling, the walls reaching up and up till they disappeared into the shadows. It was empty aside from the massive barred gate that took up the entire other side. He recognized the gate, seeing the paper seals placed all around it, being held firmly shut by a giant chain. Taking a deep breath, he called out into the darkness.

"What do you want with me now, Kyubi?"

Red eyes blinked open behind the gate, gazing down upon the young man. A large grin soon followed._ "What do I want?"_ it chuckled to him. _"I'm afraid it's the other way around. You called to me first, remember?" _Naruto thought back, suddenly remembering that he had indeed asked the demon a question while back in the woods. He chuckled and took a seat in the middle of the floor. "I suppose I did. Took you long enough to decide to answer." _"I tried, but you seemed a bit...distracted"_ the eyes responded, winking down at him with a playful growl. _"I must say that I approve. It's about time you chose a mate. You humans take so long. And she is quiet...appealing."_ Naruto narrowed his eyes at that comment, not sure if he liked the beast thinking about Hinata like that. "You leave her alone, she's not some plaything for your amusement." The darkness smirked back at him. _"You said so yourself, there are three of us involved in this. Besides, I like her. I like her a lot better then that other piece of tail you've been chasing for so long. So quiet and submissive...like a good little female should be...talented too...but she's still green around the ears. I could teach her a few tricks...if you'd let me."_ The blonde couldn't take it anymore, and stood to leave. _"Naruto"_ it called to him. He froze. Kyubi had never used his name before. He turned back, surprised to see the menacing smile gone and a seriousness to the eyes. _"She is our mate now, we need to protect her. Your fears are not unfounded."_ He blinked at this and took a step closer to them. "So what do you propose, demon?" _"You say that as if it's an insult." _came the reply, the eyes narrowing at him. _"Not all demons are evil. I have saved your life on a few occasions. I give you my power, and yet you're afraid to use it."_ He seethed at that remark "You haven't answered my question" The smile returned. _"You should come visit me more often. You rant and rave you need to get stronger, that you have no one to train with...you'd be surprised what I could teach you, if you weren't so afraid of yourself."_ Blue eyes glowered at that. "Afraid? You think I'm afraid? Ha!" The darkness gazed down at him again. _"Prove it boy...you'll never be able to face the demons of the world if you can't face the demon in yourself."_ They turned away from him, blinking out again. Naruto stared into the darkness, knowing Kyubi was right and hating him for it. He turned to leave, suddenly feeling unbearably hot. He took three steps when suddenly the floor seemed to give way beneath him, causing him to tumble down, down, down...

* * *

Sakura awoke with a start, glancing quickly at the clock on the wall. 0300, time for rounds. She laughed to herself. '2 patients...this shouldn't take long' She had fallen asleep at her desk again, and gave herself time to stretch out the kink in her neck. She had gotten dressed for bed with full intentions of getting some well needed sleep, but decided to do some reading first. She pulled the strap to her camisole back up to where it had slipped off her shoulder. 'I'll do a quick check then climb into bed' she told herself. Reaching down, she flipped the pages shut on the medical text she'd been sleeping on, and startled at the loud thump she heard. It took her a second to realize that didn't come from her book, but from one of the rooms. She checked the monitors quickly. The lump in Hinata's bed hadn't moved since she last looked in on her, but she blanched as she looked at Narutos. "What the...?" she said, getting to her feet. His room appeared empty. She got up and ran across the hallway to check, grabbing a respirator and the keys incase she needed to go in. 

The darkness erupted in a flash of pain and stars. Naruto groaned, pushing up against the wall that appeared out of nowhere. Trying to figure out which way was up. As he head cleared he soon realized it was no wall, but the floor, as he had apparently fallen out of bed. The sheets were tied around his legs and his pajamas clung to his damp skin. 'God it's hot in here' he thought, desperately clawing his shirt off of him. He was soaked through with sweat, and he shivered as he managed to get the fabric over his now throbbing head. Suddenly a familiar voice called out from the dark corner, startling him. "Naruto? Are you alright in there? I thought I heard something, I'll come in if you need help." As he remembered where he was, he pulled himself off the floor. "It's ok Sakura-chan...I just fell out of bed is all." He covered his eyes as he turned on the light and sat blinking for a moment, waiting for his eyes to adjust. He could see her worried face pressed up against the glass as he made his way over to it.

Her eyes watched him get up from the mess on the floor. He was breathing hard, his normal ruddy complexion looked quiet pale, and he was sweating profusely judging from the way his hair was sticking to his face. The skin on his chest and shoulders glistened, and his pants clung damply to his legs. She couldn't help but stare a moment, wondering when he'd developed such a nice body before she could shake that thought from her head. "Are you sure? You're a mess...you feeling ok?" He nodded back at her, hand still to his head. "Yeah...I had a weird dream, fell out of bed and hit the floor pretty good. I'm fine really." He was startled at how much concern showed in her green eyes, and how pretty she looked with the light from his room illuminating her face just so. "What time is it? I didn't wake you up, did I?" She smiled softly. "It's a little after 3. I was up anyways taking care of some stuff when I heard you fall. You know me...always busy." Naruto smiled back at her. "Yeah, I know. I keep yelling at you to relax more often. You push yourself to hard. You need to take better care of yourself and get some sleep."

They sat in silence for a moment, each just happy to see the other again until Naruto interrupted it with a large yawn. When he looked back at her, he realized her strap had slid down again. As his eyes took in the bared shoulder and followed it, he realized she wasn't wearing a bra. Her cleavage was plainly visible at the top of the cami, and she must have been a bit chilly. He could make out two small points where her nipples were peeking out of the material. His groin warmed, waking up on it's own as he took in this site. He'd never seen her in so little clothing, that tiny cami and the little sleep shorts that showed off her long legs... gosh she has long legs he realized. She watched him for a moment, wondering what had his attention so fully until she realized exactly what he was doing. She pulled the strap back up, breaking his trance and causing them to both blush. He was grateful he had the shirt still in his hand and moved it in front of his crotch, hoping she hadn't noticed the tent that was starting to pitch itself in the fabric there. She looked away from him, taking a step back from the window. "Well...if you're sure you alright...I'm just going to go crawl into bed..." "Yeah...and I think I'm gonna go rinse off in the shower..." he piped in, pointing towards the bathroom. "Goodnight" they said in unison before hurrying off.

* * *

Sakura practically ran back across the hall, shutting the door behind her quickly. She leaned back against it and slid down to the floor. "What the hell were you thinking?" she said to herself. "You shoulda completely flipped out on him for that! Checking you out like that...with Hinata sleeping in the next room! OH! He's such a pig that Naruto!" She sighed, thinking back to that intense gaze...his bare chest, and yes that slight rise in his groin as he looked at her. Why was she enjoying this so much? She should be angry and repulsed, and instead she was liking the way he looked at her. "And then you tell him you're crawling into bed? Geeze, why didn't you just unlock the door and invite him to join you while you were at it!" She laughed to herself at that one. _'What's wrong with you Sakura. He's with Hinata now. You should be happy for them.'_ After all these years of him hitting on her and begging her to go out with him, she never thought twice about turning him down...sometimes being rather cruel about it. But now...she winced in surprise as a pang of jealously twitched in her chest. He was such a nice guy, fairly handsome too, and all she ever did to him was yell and insult him. Now he'd given up on her and found someone else, and now she found herself wishing for that attention again. She thought about her own obsession with Sauske, about that night so long ago when she had thrown herself at him one last time, begging him to either stay in the village or take her with him, as long as they could be together. And his only response was to thank her, then knock her unconscious to leave her behind. And she still pined for him. _'You're pathetic, Sakura.'_ she said to herself, remembering back on all the times Naruto had been there for her. He'd always been so kind to her, always looking out for her, and now he was gone too. The two guys she was sure would never leave her side had both left her behind. She buried her face in her knees and cried.

* * *

Naruto hurried into his bathroom and shut the door behind him. "What the hell just happened?" he asked himself. Sakura just caught him ogling her...and she didn't freak out on him? He rubbed his head, wondering if he was still asleep or that really just happened. A sudden throb from his crotch confirmed it was very real. He shook his head trying to figure out what the hell was going on these days. First Hinata...now Sakura? "Hinata..." he said sadly. He had no idea what was going on with her in the next room. She could be falling apart over there by herself, and he's sitting around talking to demons and checking out Sakura's rack. Feeling like scum, he cranked up the cold water and hosed himself off before crawling back into bed and falling into a fitful sleep, his hand resting on the empty space next to him where she used to be. 


	10. Heat

**_Hey All! I have returned, and I must say I am feeling the luv!_**

**_ I'm feeling much better as well, thank you all for your kind words of encouragement and concern._**

**_For those of you who watch the news (don't know how many of you would do that) but anyways, the flooding of the Delaware River in the rash of storms from last week has left my area underwater. (YAY BUCKS COUNTY-PA! WOOT!) Third time in 2 years. And since my job is w/Emergency Services I've been busting my ass over it. Yay 22 hours of OT in a week! Boo for stupid FEMA crap...cutting in on my happy anime time. If you a curious, feel free to check out lots of good piccys and video!_**

**_ But enough about that..._**

**_Starting to recognize a couple of names as repeat posters. And boy does that make my wittle heart go pittypat. (You like me! You really like me!)_**

**_Tellemicus and Dragonman - yes I have thought about your bunshin ideas, however it's not quite going to fit in with where I'm taking this story. It has given me some ideas though for a lemoney one shot . :) When I get through _**_woods_**_ I will type it up and send it to you for your perusal, though I think you might like it :)_**

**_ Kage of Blood - oh yeah baby...we'll make her squeal, don't you worry -lol-_**

**_ Fenix and Lon3wolf and several other repeaters that are too many to mention - you're constant kind words help keep me going, especially when I'm running on 2 hours of sleep but I'm plugging through trying to get the next chappie up. you guys are great_**

**_Drunken Neko-chan - i just love yer name :-D _**

**_to everyone who is mad at me about Sakura. The plot thickens! This is still a NaruxHina though. worry not my friends, love will prevail over lust...but there's nothing wrong with a little lust every now and again! And please don't hate me for the next two chapters. Trust me...you will like where it's going.  
_**

**_ I still can't believe this was just going to be a 4 chapter smutfic and I've let you guys talk me into 10 chapters and counting...hell i'm already planning the sequel. From now on if I want a pure lemon it's a one shot! -lol-_**

**_ Chapter 11 (tentatively called "Fear") is halfway done. I was going to post them both at the same time, but I really had no reason to hold this one back from you guys._**

**_Enjoy the angst, tip your bartender, and leave me some sugar for when I get up! For now, the nightwalker sleeps again._**

**_ Kyubi _**

* * *

The second day of confinement was, for the most part, uneventful. Ino stopped by for a brief visit while making deliveries from the flower shop. Sakura and Naruto acted like nothing had happened the night before, and Tsunade stopped by to see how things were going. Everything seemed to be fine, except for Hinata. She was acting more reclusive then usual, seemed thirsty all the time, and was unusually run down. Now early morning on the third day, the blonde Hokage watched her intently, chewing on her lower lip while assessing the situation. After their return two days ago she had sent a messenger bird back to the mist to check on their status. As of yet she still hadn't received a reply. She was starting to get concerned that there was something terribly wrong, and had to keep yelling at herself to be calm and rational. Sakura had told her of finding Naruto on the floor, sweaty, pale, and holding his head in the middle of the night. But looking at him now, sitting to one side and apparently meditating _'I didn't know he did that'_, he seemed to be fine. Was it maybe just a side effect of that second dose of the medicine? But then why wasn't Hinata getting any better? 

She let out a long sigh. The only way to be sure would be to go in and run tests on the girl, and if they were going to be running tests it would be better to move her down the hall to the level 4 containment unit that had entry/exit hatches and more equipment, but was far less comfortable then her current accommodations. And if they moved her there they would have to pull more medical personnel in here to run the tests and monitor her 24 hours a day. She turned to Sakura, who was already waiting with a respirator, gloves, and a phlebotomy kit on standby. "Let's wait one more night...if she doesn't show any signs of improvement by tomorrow morning, we'll assume the worst and move her to 4. I'm trusting your judgement on this...if you at any point before then feel that we need to act sooner, we'll do it." Green eyes nodded back solemnly. "I'll be in the hospital making preparations and getting the staff set up if you need me. Even if she just sneezes funny, I wanna know." She smiled back at her mentor, "Hopefully I won't need you." Tsunade smiled back quietly at that with a nod, then left to see if any word had come back yet from the other village.

* * *

_'God it's hot in here...don't they have air-conditioning in this place?'_ she thought as she pushed herself upright. She felt heavy and sticky as she freed herself from the bedclothes and got onto her wobbly feet. Hinata made her way to the refrigerator, pulling out the bottle of milk. She opened it and downed it quickly, a slight dribble making it's way down her chin. After draining the entire half gallon, she dropped the empty container, gasping for breath. The cold felt good and she wanted more. She grabbed the bottle of OJ next and emptied it in similar fashion. She leaned into the open door, letting the cold air blow out over her, trying to catch her breath. Suddenly, a soft voice called from behind her "Hinata? Are you alright?" _'I wish people would stop asking me that...'_ she thought angrily. "Why on earth is it so hot in here? Honestly it feels like..." her voice caught as she turned to face them, not ready for the horror before her. Standing in front of her was Sakura and Naruto, but the entire room was filled with flames. "Like what?" They smirked at her darkly, as the fire seemed to creep towards them, licking their clothes and skin lightly, almost seductively kissing them till they caught as well. She collapsed onto the floor, pushing herself back away from the encroaching tempest, pain shooting through her legs as her feet began to burn and singe. Her flaming friends laughed, reaching for her, pulling her into the smoke and the ash until suddenly... 

Hinata screamed as she hit the floor, startling herself out of her nightmare. She lay still a moment, fighting for air, her eyes scanning the room for any sign of smoke or flames. When nothing appeared, she pulled herself upright. She was soaking with sweat, and unable to bear it she pushed herself to her feet and stumbled to the bathroom. Once inside she threw on the shower, climbing in without bothering to turn on the lights or remove her clothes. She stood there in the freezing spray, her face pressed against the cold tiles. Her head throbbed as if her eyeballs were going to burst out of the sockets from the pressure, and she sobbed softly. _'Why can't I get any relief? What's wrong with me?' _she cried to herself, her legs starting to give out from under her. Hinata pushed herself out of the falling water and stumbled to the door _'I have to find Sakura...I can't act like there's nothing wrong anymore...I have to..."_ but everything went black as the floor rushed up at her.

* * *

Naruto had spent all of the previous day thinking about what Kyubi had said to him, wondering if he could be right._ 'What do you mean could be? You know for most of it he is...but I'm not afraid of him. That's the biggest load of shit I've ever heard...'_ he sighed._ 'Or is it?'_ As many times as he'd used the demon chakra, there had only been once that he had managed to call it forth himself at will...and that time wasn't one that he was proud of. Jiraya told him time and time again that he needed to take advantage of this power...so why didn't he? Why was it so hard for him to do it? Maybe it was time he started spending some more time with the beast. But the question to that one was...how? It only ever happened when he needed it, how does one go about starting conversations with their inner demons? 

He thought back on the time Kakashi-sensei had tried to teach him to meditate. It had been more of an attempt to get the boy to calm down, actually. He was getting a lot of complaints from the others of Naruto always flying off the hook and tearing off without thinking. When he finally had a few days off between missions, he found our obnoxious friend and promised him some exclusive one-on-one training time.

"So what kind of awesome technique are you gonna teach me today, Kakashi-sensei?"

The silver haired jounin smiled beneath his mask. "One I'm sure you'll find most interesting, and I don't do this with just anyone. In fact, you're the only person I ever have, and ever plan to do this with."

Naruto laughed remembering that line. He had fallen for it completely at the time.

The first day was easy...once he had figured out how to sit still for longer then 5 min. That took up the first 3 hours of the day. After that the copynin had simply sat across from him, and with a smile said "I want you to sit here till dinner time, and then you'll tell me what you learned." "Eh? What am I supposed to learn by sitting here?" came the expected reply. "You're a ninja right? So gather information!" and at that Kakashi closed his visible eye and sat every still, seeming to barely even breath. Naruto had no idea what kind of information he was expected to get, so he sat there, watching the clouds and the birds and listening to the trees. After a few hours, the mischievous eye popped open again and waited patiently for his answers.

"Well...there's a starling that keeps hanging around the large oak tree across the clearing"

"Why?" Kakashi interrupted.

"Well I dunno. And there is something that keeps making an odd crying sound in the woods just east of here..."

"What is it?" his sensei broke in again with a smile.

"Beats me...and something somewhere nearby is giving off the most interesting smell..."

"But where is it coming from?" he asked again, trying not to laugh at the increasing look of annoyance the boy was giving him.

"Well how the hell should I know?"

Kakashi leaned over and thumped the boy fondly on the head. "Baka. That's the point of this exercise."

He then spent the next hour and a half explaining to his student how if he used his individual senses, combined with a little chakra, instinct, and practice, he would be able to know everything that's going on around him at all times. It was hard to explain in words, he said...you just needed to clear your head of all the noise and clutter and just **_do it_** "But it takes patience and a calm heart, Naruto. I'm not sure our #1 hyperactive ninja would really want to master such a dull and time-consuming chore...I mean really...who cares if it would make it nearly impossible to catch you off guard and make intelligence gathering a simple task..." at which point of course he was loudly interrupted and begged to teach it.

For the next 4 days the two worked together in near silence, speaking only when Kakashi needed to correct or guide him, or Naruto was giving his report on what he discovered. As they broke on the 4th day, Kakashi looked proudly down on his student. "You've done well these past few days. I need to leave on missions again, but I want you too keep practicing on your own. After a few years you'll be able to do it instinctively. But don't worry about that for now. In a few months I'm dragging you out here again, and I expect you to be able to tell me everything." he ruffled the young mans hair, then took him out for ramen.

_'That was six months ago...'_ Naruto thought with a smile. _'And I still haven't gotten to show you what I've learned to do since.'_

Now was a perfect time to work on this. He closed his eyes and emptied his mind so the only things he was aware of where the beating of his heart and sound of his own breathing. He adjusted his breathing so that he was taking fewer breaths per min, slow and shallow as if he were sleeping till he was barely aware he was doing it. Then he slowed his heart down as well till it to was only beating calmly and quietly every few seconds. Then drawing his chakra, he reached gently outward to explore the hospital.

He carefully reached in on Sakura across the hall. He found her warm glow exactly where he expected it. She was sitting at her desk, working on paperwork and sniffling to herself. She had been crying it seemed, and she was fighting herself to stop. His heart ached, wishing to be able to talk to her and find out what was the matter. He had a sinking feeling that it had to do with the other night, though why she was so distraught he was still as clueless as ever. _'I don't think I'll ever understand women'_ he thought to himself.

_**You probably won't...I'm over 900 years old and I still don't understand them myself.**_

Naruto was so startled by this he almost lost his focus. Letting go of the image of Sakura, he turned his focus inward, trying to figure out where that exactly came from. _'Kyubi?'_

**_-chuckle-very good..you'll finally listen to me. That's a good step._**

_'What do you mean finally? You mean you've been trying?'_ Naruto could suddenly feel it, like a smouldering red coal deep inside his being. He carefully drew it closer to the surface, finding the voice a little easier to hear.

**_A few times. You normally keep yourself closed off, lost in your own thoughts and actions. You finally opened yourself enough I could break in. Normally I can only seem to get through to you when it's important though. I wonder if this is another of those times._**

_'What do you mean? What's wrong?'_

_**Something's wrong with your vixen. I've been checking on her now and again...she doesn't feel right...**_

_'What do you mean by feel right?'_ Naruto fought to stay calm over that, not liking the sounds or implications of it. One thing he'd learned was if he let his emotions take over, he would loose his focus and be unable to discern anything. He could risk breaking this connection just yet.

**_Check on her yourself_**

With that the Kyubi pushed itself away again, leaving Naruto to look outward. He reached out to Hinata, gently probing into the darkness for the soft glow of her own chakra. He was startled to find it dimmed and weakened, but there was a fire that seemed to come from it. She was a burning inferno, her heart racing frantically and her breath hard and labored. It was too much for him and he lost it, the image of her on the floor fighting to get up sent tears to his eyes and pain through his chest. As his eyes shot open he jumped up from the floor and ran to the call button, screaming for Sakura to hurry.

* * *

Sakura jumped at the frantic screaming that crashed through the silence like a bull in a china shop. She hurriedly wiped the tears from her flushed cheeks and ran to the door to see what was the matter. She saw Naruto at his window, yelling hysterically so she could barely understand him. He was waving his arms and gesticulating wildly towards the other room and going on something about Hinata. _'What on earth is he going on about?'_ She thought, turning to look at the monitors. Her heart caught in her throat as Hinata's room looked vacant...save for an arm sticking out behind the bathroom door that appeared to be clawing weakly at the floor. She grabbed her respirator and ran across the hall as she tried to get the gloves on fast enough. She just got her mask in place as she reached the door, unlocking it and pulling it open in one motion, throwing it hard into the wall as she ran to the figure on the floor. 

"Hinata! Hinata it's me what happened?" she yelled at her as she dropped to the ground next to her. She was soaked, her clothes clinging damply to her flushed skin. Sakura brushed the wet hair off her face, cradling it upward to look at her. She was horrified at the heat she could feel coming off her skin through the thick latex gloves. Hinata's eyes lolled around, having a hard time focusing on her pink haired friend. She moaned softly.

"Hinata! Please, answer me if you can hear me...I need to know what happened!" she yelled at her again. For a moment their eyes met, then the answer came in a voice just barely a whisper.

"G..gomen...Sakura-san...please...help me..."

The pale eyes rolled up into her skull as her small body began to tremble and quake.

_'Dear god no...'_ Sakura screamed in her head as she watched helplessly while the tremors took over her friend

* * *

**_Again...please don't hate me for this _**

**_I will work hard to have Chapter 12 up tomorrow...for that is my way of the ninja :-P _**


	11. Fear

**_all my adoring fans, get ready for the next installment!_**

**_WolfyAlex - congradulations on being my 100th review! and thanks to everyone who made that milestone possible _**

**_ NO she is NOT PREGNANT...if you haven't realized I'm not that fluffy. :) that and go back over the time line...she wouldn't even be able to test positive with a home pregnancy test yet cause the egg wouldn't even be implanted yet! (sorry to burst your bubble folks) I'm not saying it will never happen in this series, just not in the first round.  
_**

**_Andersonfanandadmirer - thank you soo much...really...i will have something special for you soon -evilgryn-_**

**_Dionysos - nope...no Sauske...at least...not yet -morevilgryn-_**

**_MP5 - hey! i used to live in West Chester! I lived across from Indian King (Boot Rd and rt 100) over by Peirce Middle School. Small world huh?_**

**_PsyBomb - I am dying to know what your theories are..please...won't you share with the rest of the class?_**

**_ yes you read correctly! I have decided to make this a series! My chapters are taking a little longer to come out cause I'm working on the transitions between this one and the next, figuring time lines and basic plot._**

**_oh..and Leander-the-Hawk - I tried to make this one a little longer for you. still not too long, but I tried._**

**_and now your attention please all passangers please fasten your emotional seatbelts...you're in for a bumpy ride._**

**_ -Kyubi_**

* * *

"Damnit...this isn't happening!" she cursed to herself watching her friend loose total control over her petite body. The pink haired medic jumped to her feet, running across the room and slapping the emergency button. The alert tone sounded in the hallways as she turned back to her friend. The girl wasn't coding yet...but damnit she wasn't going to wait any longer. While she waited for the others to get here she ran into the bathroom, grabbing as many towels as she could, throwing them in the tub and soaking them in the icy water before packing them around Hinata's head, neck, and torso. "Hinata...don't you dare give up on me." she called to the shaking girl, waiting anxiously for her to either cool down or her brain to stop firing from lack of oxygen.

Tsunade had been gathering staff to help with the Hyuga's transfer when it happened. She froze as the klaxon sounded in the hallways, knowing even before the recorded announcement was broadcast. Grabing a respirator off the equipment cart they had been collecting she turned to the others. "That's her! We're going in!" The others she was with each donned their own masks before grabbing the equipment and tearing down the halls behind her. _'Please...please don't let this be as bad as it seems'_ she prayed to herself, knowing with her luck it would be...and worse.

Sakura was ransacking the drawers, keeping an eye on Hinata, who was still seizing on the floor. She couldn't do anything till she stopped, but she could at least have some stuff ready. She grabed a large bore IV, lock, and a bag of glucose/electrolytes. Judging from what was going on her fever had to be in excess of 105, and depending on how long she'd been running that fever her poor body would be dehydrated beyond belief. _'If it's too bad her kidneys will start to shut down...and if that happens...'_ she pushed that thought from her head. _'No damnit...I won't let her.'_ She ran back over, replacing the towels with cold ones from the shower. Sakura let out a pained sigh as the tremors began to cease.

"Hinata...Hinata it's me, Sakura...can you hear me?" she called, running a hand gently across her cheek, trying to see if she'd wake for her. Her lips were purple from the lack of air, but her chest was rising now. _'It was only about 2-3 min...she should be fine'_ she thought. "Hinata...please" she called again as she rubbed her knuckles into the girls breast bone hard, trying to get any response. Nothing. Her heart was racing, her breathing shallow...but at least she was still alive. She quickly cut the shirt off of her using her carefully directed chakra, packing more cold towels directly against the bare skin before getting started on the IV. She could hear Tsunade calling down the hallway and the echo of a million footsteps. _'Thank the gods'_ she thought as they burst through the doorway.

"What happened?" was all the Hokage spat out, rushing over to join her on the floor. Sakura didn't hesitate before she started spouting off her reply "She's febrile, active seizure for about 3 min. I've been packing her down but I'm afraid we're going to need something more then this. Tachycardic with shallow respirations, she just got still enough for me to start pushing fluids. She's completely unresponsive to painful stimulus at this time though..." Tsunade was surprised at how calm she sounded as the medical jargon poured out of her mouth, but could see how rattled she really was. The young ones hands shook as she squeezed the fluids into the fragile body. It was the first time Sakura had someone code out on her before, combined with the fact that it was a friend and she was alone. But she had kept her head and done well. The blonde motioned for the others to come in and take over, and she watched as the girl calmly got up and handed over the bag, letting them get started working on her. Giving them a few brief orders she stood up and grabbed Sakura, pulling her out into the hallway. "Are you ok?"

"Yes..." came the shaky reply, her eyes darting around above the mask. Her hands twitched and fidgeted, trying to keep her from thinking about what just happened...what could have happened. Tsunade placed a gentle hand on her cheek, making her look up at her. "It's ok...you didn't do anything wrong, in fact you did everything perfectly. There was nothing else you could do." Tears began to well up in the green pools as Sakura gave in to her panic. She buried her face on her mentors shoulder and sobbed, the sound muffled in her respirator. Tsunade held the girl for a moment, watching as the team worked on the young Hyuga heiress in the room. _'If anything it's my fault...I should have acted on my feelings sooner. And this wouldn't have happened.'_ As the sobbing ceased, she patted her shoulder firmly. "Now then, if you're ok I need you to go down to room 4. We've got to get her temp down, which means you're going to have to fill the tub. Once we get her stabilized, we can figure out what's going on." Sakura nodded repeatedly, trying to shake some sense into herself as she turned to run down the hall.

* * *

A few hours later they were pulling Hinata out of a large metal tub filled with ice water. They'd managed to get her temp down to a more normal level, but not before she had another seizure. The second one hadn't been as long as the first, or at least, that's what Sakura thought anyways. She was helping the others dry her off and tuck the still unconscious girl back into bed, placing cold packs along her neck and shoulders to try and keep the blood flowing to her brain cool. She still hadn't woken up from the first attack yet. Tsunade confirmed that she had the fever illness from the wave country, but there was something wrong. It was only 6 days after initial exposure, whatever that exposure was they were still trying to determine, and already it was nearly claiming her life. Hinata should have suffered for weeks in pain and agony before getting to this point. This virus was different somehow... faster... deadlier.

Tsunade watched from the monitoring station just outside the room. She hated this. She should be inside helping, but several of them had argued with her on this. She was the Hokage, and they couldn't allow such risk that she would be infected as well. After all, if anything happened to her, who would lead the village in her place? Besides, it was up to her to try and figure out some sort of treatment. They were giving Hinata the same medicine she'd been assigned to deliver, but it had yet to show any signs of help. Tsunade was beginning to fear that the whole thing was in vain, that the other village was wiped out and she'd risked two of her own for nothing. She glanced down the hallway and sighed. _'Now that Hinata's in better shape...we have to figure out what to do with him.'_

_

* * *

_

Naruto was livid. He'd sat there with his ear against the wall listening to the muffled sounds coming from her room. He'd watched helplessly as they hauled her in a sheet down the hall, looking more like a corpse then the warm caring girl he was falling for. And now, hours later, he was trying his damndest not to blast out the wall with a rasengan and storm down there to demand answers. _'Damnit, Tsunade...Sakura...someone better get down here and tell me what's going on...'_ He was seething like a rabid animal. He could swear his claws were out, and he was afraid to look in the mirror to see who's eyes he had at the moment. He pictured her lifeless body in the sheet again. This time they were covering her peaceful face, shaking their heads and turning away from her. His body ached down to his bones. Fists clenched as pain throbbed thru the joints in his fingers. He couldn't breath, his lungs suffocating on the tears he was holding back...until he could hold back no longer. "Why?" he asked himself, his voice cracking. "Why her damnit?...Why? WHY? WHY?"

His chakra flared as he slammed a fist through the table, the pieces flying all over the floor. He punched the bathroom door repeatedly, wood and splinters falling like rain. He paid no heed to the blood coming from his battered knuckles as he turned and threw the bed across the room, jumping on the remains and tearing the mattress. He let out a feral scream as he ripped the sheets to shreads until there was nothing left and the anger was gone. Then he collapsed on the tattered remains, burying his face and screaming into them, his heart breaking at the thought that her light was gone from him.

_'She must be dead...why else would they be taking so long...please no...not Hinata...she was so gentle...so kindhearted...'_ he yelled at himself. _'She deserves better then this. She deserves soo much better then to die scared and alone, locked away from the ones she loves. She'd watched you for how long, and you were too stupid to notice her...you're soo stupid to let this happen to her...'_ His lungs burned for air, but he continued to deny them. He didn't want to live if all she got out of it was pain and suffering. _'It's my fault...it has to be'_ he reasoned. _'I'm destined to be alone...'_

His mind flashed through different images of her. Hinata when they first started at the academy, the adorable little girl he'd caught staring at him from behind the tree in the school yard, the one he wished would come play with him instead of hiding. Hinata after graduation, watching him as he'd sat alone and dejected. He remembered a time they'd both got caught in a rainstorm, and they'd shared a doorway in an alley till it let up, how she'd fainted when he put his jacket around her to keep her warm and how red she turned as he insisted he walk her home after she'd passed out on him. How she offered to let him cheat during the chuunin exams, and later how she'd cheered for him. He'd thought she was weird, but when she smiled at him things weren't so bad. _"She'd always been there...her eyes had always looked over me...her heart had always cared...and as soon as I noticed her..."_ Naruto lay there in the ruins, crying till he was empty and eventually fell asleep...

When he woke up he found he was no longer in the remains of the demolished room. This room was cold and sterile. The cabinets and furniture were all stainless steel, the floor tiled. To the side there was a large metal therapy tub filled with water. And across the room... his heart leapt at what he saw. _'Is this another dream? Or is that really...?'_ He climbed out of his new bed slowly, afraid any minute he was going to wake up. He carefully made his way across the floor... unable to believe what he saw.

Hinata was lying there on a second bed, the sheet pulled up to her armpits, wires and electrodes attached to her chest, shoulders and head. The oxygen mask fogged lightly with her shallow breaths, while the monitors beeped softly in the background. He plopped gracelessly onto the stool that was conveniently sitting next to her, and gingerly picked up her hand from the sheets. It was still warm as he brought it up to his cheek, a tear sliding silently down to rest on her limp fingers. Her arm was already bruising from the needles sticking into the skin, her hair was damp and sticking to her. He sat there quietly, holding her hand under his chin while he lightly ran his fingers up and down her forearm, praying she would feel it and wake up.

After what seemed like an eternity Naruto felt two hands softly touch his shoulders, reaching slowly around his neck and chest and pulling him back into a warm embrace. He relaxed and let them envelope him, recognizing the smell of the shampoo instantly. He lowered Hinata's hand to his lap and reached up with one arm to return the hug. "Sakura-chan...what happened?"

She had seen him go to her and watched quietly for bit. She could tell it was killing him, and before she knew it she had gone over and was holding him. She was almost surprised when he leaned back into her, letting her pull him close with a sigh. She was dressed in full protective garb, long gloves, goggles, and that damn respirator still. She wanted to rip it all off and touch him, tell him everything was going to be alright. But if she did that they'd have to haul in another bed for her in here with them, and Tsunade would probably refuse to finish her training for being so stupid and unprofessional. This was all she could do to comfort him. She was surprised he had recognized her without turning to look, but then again, who else would be in here hugging him?

"She's very sick. Her fever got too high for her body to handle, causing her to go into a febrile seizure. Her brain just got too hot that it couldn't work right anymore." He trembled slightly in her arms, holding back the tears. She squeezed him tightly and he stilled. "We got her cooled down, now we're just working on making her better."

He turned to her suddenly, his eyes filled with something she'd almost never seen in him before, something that scared her to her core. She was overcome by the fear she saw there. "She'll get better, right? You have the medicine...so she'll be ok...right?" She pulled him back to her, cradling his head to her bosom like you would a frightened child.

"We're certainly going to try dammit"

* * *

_'This day is going to hell in a handbasket'_ Tsunade thought to herself. And it appeared to be hauling everyone in the village with it. Apparently a branch relative of the Hyuga clan had been in the hospital when all hell broke lose. After hearing from a staff member that something was terribly wrong in quarantine, they had run back to the complex and alerted the entire family. Now the fifth was stuck arguing with Hiashi, six of the elders and Neji as to what was going on and why they weren't allowed back to see their heir. They'd been at it for 20 min now, and both side were soon approaching their limits of civility.

"Dammit Tsunade, this is outrageous! You have no right to shut us off from one of our family members! Especially not Hinata! I demand an explanation of this immediately!" the family head told her loudly and firmly. He wasn't one to yell, but he was soon approaching that line.

"And I already told you, Hiashi. We have a confirmed case of the mists fever disease at this time. ALL visitors are barred from entering these facilities, that includes yourself and your esteemed family members." she hated politics, but fought to try and remain respectful. Even though she would rather be tossing the entire lot of them out on their asses for interrupting her for this.

He puffed out his chest, filling the hallway with his imposing figure, glowering down at her with his cold, pale eyes. "And I already told you that we insist we have a family representative monitoring her status and your progress in dealing with this matter. If you think we're going to just stand by..."

"Yes I do expect you to just 'stand by'" she cut in, her forehead twitching in irritation. "In fact, if you continue to stand here and waste my time on this matter, time-I might add-that I could be spending trying to find a damn cure for this, I will have no other choice but to call in the ANBU to have you removed from this hospital, escort back to your compound, and make sure you remain in said compound until this situation is resolved." She watched as the entire group blanched at the threat, starting at her in shock at such and idea. "This has become a grave matter of village security, and if you think I will let you bully me into putting everyone elses lives at risk just because of your family's name then you are seriously mistaken."

The elders turned to debate this matter amongst themselves while their leader continued to glare at Tsunade. She could have sworn for a moment she saw an angry flash of red steal across his cheeks. But she stood firm, her gloved arms folded across her ample chest, her own eyes fixed hard on his. _'If he thinks he can win a staring contest with me he's dead wrong.'_ One of the members stepped forward and whispered something in his ear. Hiashi closed his eyes with a sigh, nodding and whispering a reply before turning his attention back to her.

"The others will return to the compound..." he said firmly, almost daring her to argue with him on this. "I, however, will remain here on the premise. You will give me updates on Hinata's status and on your progress with this cure." She started to open her mouth to protest, but it was his turn to cut her off. "I will not force you to let me in with her...but you will not make me leave."

She calmly looked over the group. Hiashi stood firmly in front of her like an unmovable wall. The elders behind him gave shot her anxious glances, one of them - she noticed with slight amusement - nervously poking his two fingers together. And finally Neji, who stood calmly and quietly off to the side like an afterthought, only along to make sure nothing got out of hand. He met her eyes and nodded silently, as if this was the only solution she would get out of the others. She turned her attention back to the head, his face like stone, and nodded.

"Alright, you can stay. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work." She turned without anything further and disappeared back behind the locked doors of the quarantine unit.

The family stood there for a moment, staring at the barrier they were unable to breach. They then turned one by one, placing a supportive hand on Hiashi's shoulder before bowing and leaving him to his vigil. As they left, one of the aunt's stopped Neji, glancing back towards the patriarch they had left behind. The young man nodded in understanding. "I will keep an eye on him."

They all paused to watch as Shizune ran up, a scroll in her hands and a panicked look on her face. She muttered her apologies as she tried to squeeze by, only to disappear behind those door again. Neji frowned as he watched his uncle turn away and head down the opposite hallway towards the meditation garden. _'It seems there will be more bad news'_ he told himself as he quietly followed.

* * *

Shizune caught up with Tsunade quickly inside the unit. She had been standing in the doorway to Naruto's room, surveying the results of his temper, and contemplating throwing in some of her own as well. She turned as the younger woman stumbled up, out of breath and waving a scroll.

"We've...just recieved...word from...the village.." she gasped, handing the scroll over and then leaning on the wall to keep from falling over. She was getting to used to her office job, she thought, that or too old to be running across town. The Hokage ripped open the seal, praying there was something hopeful in the message. Her brow furrowed as she read, unable to believe what they were telling her. Shizune looked up, having managed to compose herself. "Tsunade...are you alright?"

The scroll hit the floor as the fierce blonde put her fist through the wall, the nails digging deeply into the palm of her other hand as she tried to control her anger. Blood oozed slowly around her fingers, till she could find a calmer voice then the one screaming in her head.

"It seems our worst fear has been realized...and I'm afraid no one will be safe for much longer..."

* * *

**_I know...another cliffhanger...but look at it this way...it keeps you guys begging for more :) i should change my penname to kyubiteaser _**


	12. Comfort

_**The tease is back!**_

_**Thank you all for making the last one my most reviewed chapter - 38 in one go! I cherish each and every comment.**_

_**And I changed the name...cause it seems you all wanted it :) **_

_**Kyuubi-sama - I love you too :)**_

_**Aleh - -blinkblink- pardon my sleep deprivation but I'm not sure what you mean. My only excuse is...I am in sore need of a beta/editor. Anyone interested apply within.  
**_

_**I'm a night walker who's responsiblities force me to function during daylight as well, and most of the time when I get to work on this I'm running off of 2 hours sleep for the past 4 days. Gaara is my idol. Although I don't have the racoon eyes like he does...and he makes them sexy. -Gaara fantasy moment-**_

_**Noroimusha - if you must kill me...can you hire the ask-a-ninja from I so look forward to him killing me soon :)**_

_**shadowkeepre - nope, not like the musical at all is it? although a naruto version of "once upon a mattress" might be interesing **_

_**The Rouge Stallion - yay smut indeed! I have a one shot 3-way I'm gonna throw up in the next day. I'm loving this story but tis leaving me frustrated.**_

_**PsyBomb - hmmm...interesting...very interesting...**_

_**IceNight009 - i hope you like this one, not as funny, but interesting none the less  
**_

_**Underdark Ranger - yes I'm evil...but far from a man, man :-D**_

_**Dionysos - hah! it is like SARS! I so didn't think of that. I eventually need a name for this...maybe that's what I'll use..**_

_**Logophobia - cause if we didn't leave cliffhangers you wouldn't keep coming back to find out what happens next! lol**_

_**Mileharo Kerran - there aren't any other fics under my name yet cause I haven't written any. This one was done for the hell of it and before I knew it I had a fan club. (not that I'm complaining) I have three others that I'm fussing over when I need to get my head off this one, one of which is the untitled sequel. The two one shots are almost ready to go up soon. Keep checkin, i'll keep writing.**_

_**I was surprised no one commented on my portrayal of the Hyuga's though. And I'm oddly disapointed in that. Guess I wanted to make sure I did well on that...and did well enough no one needed to complain. Ah well. Dragging them into this one...lets see if I get any complaints this time.**_

_** figured you guys needed a break to stop your heads from spinning, so this one is nice and easy on you.**_

_**Don't hate me 'cause I'm evil...hate me cause I'm frustrating!**_

_**And now my minions...Dance! -evil laughter-**_

_**The Teaser **_

* * *

Hyuga Hiashi sat quietly on a bench in the hospitals small meditation garden, watching the koi swimming gracefully in the pond as if they were floating thru a dream. The garden was something Tsunade came up with after she took over, insisting that family members, as well as patients and staff, needed someplace to escape the harsh realities that one must often face in a hospital. As the smell of jasmine and magnolia blossoms drifted past on a breeze he smiled quietly to himself. 

"You'll have to try harder then that to sneak up on me, Neji-san. I thought you were to go back to the compound with the others?"

The younger man dropped down from his perch in the tree, bowing out of habit. "My apologies dear uncle but the..." Hiashi cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"I know...the others put you up to it. It's alright." he sighed, turning his attention back to the fish. "I'd really rather not be alone right now." He gestured to the vacant part of the bench. "Please, keep me company."

Neji stood for a moment, analyzing his uncle, before taking a seat at the other end of the bench, leaving some room between them. Since he was defeated in the chuunin exams, things between the two had gotten better. His uncle spent much time training him, and at times seemed to treat him more like a son then a lowly branch nephew. But when it came to things that involved Hinata, the boy just wasn't sure where to tread. They sat in silence for a while, listening to the trickle of the small waterfall and the tones of the wind chimes blowing.

"You know," the older man said, quietly breaking the peace. "She helped plant this garden for the Hokage." Neji turned, surprised to see a wistful smile on his face. "There is a spot in the compound she hides in when she thinks I'm mad at her that's just like this...she thinks I don't know about it but..." he chuckled softly at the memory "when she was 4 she used to go there when she was upset, and cry till she fell asleep out there, and I'd have to carry her back into the house, little flowers stuck in her hair and dirt smudged on her chin." There was pain in his eyes thinking back on that little girl. "She had been such a bouncy...boisterous little thing, do you remember?" He turned to the boy who nodded, trying to think back to those days. "She was always shy at first but she would warm up so fast until...after they tried to take her away...after everything..she changed." he sighed again. "I changed."

Neji tried to remember that clouded past. It was hard, but he could recall a few happy times with her, before he was marked and everything seemed to spiral out of control. They had actually been quite fond of each other when they were little, acting more like siblings then cousins. He remembered how she would chase him thru the corridors calling nii-san after him till she'd trip. She'd cry for a moment until he'd come back and scoop her up, rubbing his nose to hers to make her smile again. And then she'd be off running again like nothing had happened. She had been so happy, like a little sun that brightened everyones sky. It was hard not to love her back then...back before the house was overcome with so much sadness. He nodded in agreement. "Everything changed"

Hiashi nodded as well. "Yes, we all learned some harsh lessons a bit to early. Hinata learned that wolves lurked around every corner, and she wasn't safe even in her own house. So she decided her only choice was to hide.." He turned his head, his calm features almost looking ashamed for a moment. "And I learned that I couldn't always protect her from those wolves...so instead of trying harder to keep her safe, I threw her to them... and hoped she could face them alone."

Neji was startled by this admission. Obviously something more was going on then his cousin just being sick. He had not been there when the word came back to the family. He was grabbed from the grounds as they were heading to the gate, being asked to accompany in case things got out of control. This man was the strength of the clan... he wouldn't think or say such things lightly. Hinata was a dividing line among the houses. Some felt she just needed time to grow up, others viewed her as a lost cause. But no one had ever questioned her father about his decisions or treatment of her. To have him here...regretting those choices? Something was seriously wrong. "Forgive me, uncle...but I don't understand."

"I'm sorry, Neji." was his reply to the now anxious boy. " I didn't mean to trouble you with the ramblings of a stubborn old fool."

* * *

In the beginning there was pain and fire. Ever fibre of her being cried out for release. The surrounding darkness was deep and foreboding, but she didn't seem to have any other choice, so she gave in and let it take her. The pain stopped, and she was content. But it was lonesome in the all encompassing dark, and she wished there was something, or someone. That's when he came. 

_**'Little one...little one can you hear me?'**_

_"Who is that? Is someone there?"_

_**'Come with me, little one...don't worry'**_

_"Where are you?"_

_**'This way'**_ she noticed a small red spark in the distance. **_'Don't worry, I'm right here. You're not alone.'_** It flashed in the darkness, calling to her. There was warmth and light, and a feeling a peace. She reached out to it, and it flared up to envelope her.

* * *

Sakura stretched as she stepped out of the decon room, drying her hair and wrinkling her nose at the smell that anti-bacterial soap left on her skin. It was early in the evening and she had been relieved from her watch duty inside the room. Considering Hinata's precarious status it was determined one medic would be in the room with them at all times in case either of them would suddenly crash on them. Naruto still appeared to be unaffected, although tests confirmed he too carried the virus. There had been debate about what to do with him, but after he trashed his room and needed to be moved anyways, it made more sense to keep them together. _'Besides..' _Sakura said quietly to herself. _'Maybe he can get through her to her and get her to wake up.'_

The young Hyuga still showed no signs of coming around no matter what they tried. Her chakra had all but vanished, she seemed to only have enough to keep her body alive. It was like a cracked vase- still holding it's shape but unable to keep fluid inside.

Naruto was getting despondent. It was hard to tell if that was out of fear for himself, or concern over Hinata. He had clung to Sakura for a while, desperate for some kind of comfort. But she had work to do in there, blood tests and monitors to adjust and charts to fill, so she eventually had to peel herself free and leave him to himself. He was still sitting there, staring and holding Hinata's hand as if he let go of it she would slip away and be lost forever. The golden boy was starting to look haggard, his eyes weren't quite the same shade of brilliant cobalt, and his skin seemed almost grey. _'maybe it was finally getting to work on him as well'_

She made her way down the hall to her room. All of the staff had been given sleeping quarters here in the unit. They had all agreed it was for the best this way. If someone accidentally became infected, it would keep it from being spread around the hospital and general population, not to mention if something went wrong they were all already here. There were 14 members in the unit, including Sakura and they split the day; 7 on each 12 hour shift. One member in the room doing the blood work and administering the treatments while the others were either researching or working the lab. Tsunade and Shizune were the only ones allowed in and out of the ward, and they tried to keep their contact brief.

She paused briefly in the doorway to room they were using for research. The Hokage had called a meeting while she was still in with the two patients. Her relief had said she didn't need to go, they would fill her in later, to take her time getting cleaned up and then get some rest. Tsunade glanced up at her for a moment, looking older then usual. She dismissed the girl with a wave of her hand and a nod while continuing her conversation. Sakura nodded back before turning and continuing on, glad she wouldn't have to sit through it. She was physically and emotionally exhausted. When she finally collapsed onto her bed, she thought back to the two she had just left behind. She said a quiet prayer before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

It was already dusk as Tsunade made her way out a side door of the hospital to escape. Even after a 3 hour meeting with the staff, she still couldn't come to grips with the reality of the situation. Now they were not only searching for a cure, but needed to come up with protection for the whole village. The words from the message were still echoing through her head; _enemy infiltration, deliberate infection, high mortality rate..._

"Lady Hokage"

The voice broke her from her thoughts as she realized she wasn't as alone as she'd hoped. Looking up she realized that she'd wandered to the pond, which was already occupied by Hyugas' Hiashi and Neji. Both looked at her expectantly, hopefully. _'They must think I came with news for them.'_ Heaving a tired sigh, she shook her head at them. "I'm sorry, I just came out to think...I didn't realize you were here."

Hiashi nodded back and gestured to another vacant bench. "This appears to be a good spot for that."

With a tired smile she walked over and sat down by them, turning to watch the fish. Silence again washed over the small group as they sat bathed in the amber glow of the setting sun. After a bit she turned to them apologetically.

"I'm sorry about that argument earlier. It's just been one of those days. Her condition hasn't changed since the attack, and we're not expecting anything overnight either. You'd probably be more comfortable at home then waiting here."

_'Attack?'_ Neji thought, _'what on earth happened?'_ He bit his tongue. It wasn't his place to interrupt. But apparently he wasn't the only one out of the loop on that one.

"Please," Hiashi said quietly, "Can you explain to me just what happened in there? All that we heard is that someone had some type of emergency or was dying..." the younger ones eyes shot to him at that before glancing desperately back to the blonde on the other side. She looked away and nodded silently for a moment, choosing her words carefully.

"Hinata is in stable but critical condition. Earlier today she suffered from seizures brought on by the high fever caused by this illness. She still hasn't regained consciousness...and apparently there is more to this illness then we thought...you'll forgive me if I don't elaborate at this time. I need some more information before the rumors start flying on that." She paused, watching their reactions to this news. The older Hyuga only nodding silently, his eyes closed. The young one stared at her, his face devoid of all emotion, his clenched, shaking fists the only thing betraying his feelings at that news. "She's still strong though, she has a chance to beat this. I just have to find some way to help her. As long as she holds on, we're not giving up on her."

The breeze whispered. The water bubbled. The nightingale sang her sad, sad song before flying off before nightfall. He turned to her, his face looking more like a frightened father then the powerful clan leader he was. "Tell me honestly, please Tsunade... do you really think there is any hope for recovery?"

She looked into those pleading eyes, her breath caught in her chest and her mind flashing through everything she knew about the situation. The seizure, the message, the virus, Naruto..._NARUTO_

"There is always hope" she said suddenly, surprised by the conviction in her own voice. Tsuande rose suddenly, patting him on the shoulder. "It's going to be a long night. Go home, rest, be with the family. You two can come back tomorrow to see if there is anything more. I promise I'll send for you if anything comes up before then."

And with that she turned and headed for the hospital door, suddenly not seeming quite as lost and tired as when she'd come out.

* * *

**_'Calm down little one...just relax.'_**

There had been a sudden flash of red and a sense of falling. Now everything was blurred and spinning, she couldn't tell which way was up. But the voice was there...deep and soothing

**_'Don't fight it...you'll be alright in a moment.'_**

It was amazing how comforting that voice was as it vibrated to the very core of her being. She calmed herself, letting the vertigo wash over her gently like an ocean wave, till it gradually eased and she found herself quiet comfortable. As her vision returned, she was surprised at where she found herself. The light was muted, almost dusky, as she realized she was on her back staring skywards. But instead of blue sky, there were endless trees. She'd never seen such large trees in fact, and having spent her entire life living in Konoha, that was saying something. The trunks looked as though you could fit six of the hokage's tower across the bottom, and the bottom branches appeared to be at least a mile up. The air seemed to vibrate around her, she'd never seen such simple, wild beauty before.

**_'Amazing...aren't they?'_**

She suddenly remembered she wasn't alone. _"Where are you?"_

A soft chuckle. **_'Actually...you're laying on me"_**

She bolted upright, startled at the realization that she wasn't on warm soft ground, but a warm, soft body. Surrounded by a sea of deep, coppery red fur, soft as gossamer, that shined like sparks off a camp fire in the spots the mottled sunlight fell. A white tipped tail lay across her legs, twitching slightly as she reached to caress it. Turning to her right, she was confronted with a whiskered nose, two large, pointed ears...and two eyes she could swear she had seen before. She paused for a moment, putting it all together. _"You're a fox?"_

The eyes flashed merrily back at her as he curled around her more. _**"See that...I knew you were smart."**_

She looked around, panic starting to rise as she tried to make sense of everything._ "Where am I? What happened? Who are.."_ She was cut off as the head came forward and he placed a tiny, affectionate lick on her forehead.

**_"Calm down, little one...you're safe here."_**

He gently pressed her back into a reclining position, and she couldn't help but snuggle back against his soft, warm side. It seemed familiar and comforting for some reason, though she couldn't place why. She suddenly remembered the hospital...the pain...

_"Am I...dead?"_

_**"No...not quite."**_

_"So where am I?"_

**_"Nowhere...-chuckles softly- or everywhere. It depends on how you look at it."_**

_"Who are you?"_

He gazed at her almost sadly for a moment.**_ "I'm a friend of a friend...you need to relax now little one"_** he nuzzled her gently. **_"I'll keep you safe till it's all over"_** As she wrapped her arms around his muzzle, he could smell her fear as he tried to comfort her, and was amazed at how that upset him.

_"What's going to happen to me?"_

**_"I don't know, but you're not alone...just rest now my little one...don't trouble yourself anymore"_**

**_

* * *

_**

A falling star raced quietly across the darkened sky. "I wonder if wishing on them really works" a soft voice stated, breaking Neji's train of thought. He glanced up at Tenten, who was snuggled up under him. He was resting his head on her bared chest, one hand fidgeting with the buttons on her opened pants. She was running her fingers through his long, silky locks and gazing quietly at the stars. After escorting his uncle back to his house, the young ninja had gone to her seeking comfort. They snuck off to their favorite clearing in the woods, him planning to take out his frustrations on her. But once he had her pinned under him, the taste of her skin on his lips and her breath in his ear, he found he was to upset to go very far with it.

They then lay there in their half-dressed state, quietly talking about what was going on, or what they thought was going on. He was somewhat surprised when she kept wondering out loud about 'poor Naruto' and 'this must be tearing him apart' but refused to give him any clarification when he'd ask her.He was beginning to find it annoying, Neji wasn't fond of secrets.

"What would you wish for if it did?" he asked her quietly.

She smiled, leaning her head down to kiss his forehead softly - she was the only one he permitted to see or touch him there. "If I told you it wouldn't come true silly." He gave her an exasperated sigh in response, moving to push her away. Tenten grabbed him and pulled him back to her with a giggle. "Oh come on...Everything will be ok. She's got the best medical care, plus Naruto and Sakura are in there to keep watch over her. You're too uptight tonight. I thought I'd found that stick and pulled it out of your ass months ago."

Neji looked back at her with surprise before finding himself laughing at that one. He was a lot more relaxed since they had gotten together. It was an ongoing joke between her and Kiba about what she must have done to finally get him loosened up. Truth was she was slowly becoming his voice of reason, especially when it came to his family. Her quiet warmth and blunt philosophical outlook were refreshing to him. Not to mention that her weapons training made her pretty flexible...which reminded him...

"Speaking of pulling things out..." he grinned up at her, sliding his hand down the top of her pants as he reached up to kiss her. Maybe she was right, things should be ok. And besides, it was hard to be upset around her. In the end, he found she was able to comfort him after all.

* * *

Sakura jumped as the light came on and someone was suddenly by her bedside. "What happened? I'm up...are they ok?" she blurted, blinded and blinking, trying to figure out what was going on. As she shaded her eyes with her hand, she was surprised to see her mentor looking at her desperately. 

"Sakura...this is important...you've known Naruto almost all your lives...right?"

She blinked, trying to think back. "Well...sort of I guess...we weren't close but I supposed you could say that. What are you getting at?"

"Please just answer the questions... as far back as you can remember...have you ever known him to get sick?"

_'Have I ever...what is this about'_ she thought to herself, trying to figure out where this was going. "Umm...not really...actually no I don't think so. Why? What are you getting at?"

"Are you positive on this? Please...it's important."

Her brain awake now she stopped and thought hard on it. "You'd have to double check his file, but no, I can't say he ever has been. In fact if I remember correctly he was the only one of us at the academy not infected when they had that chicken pox epidemic when we were 8." She turned confused to her now beaming superior. "Tsunade, what on earth is this all about?"

"It might take a few days...but if my hunch is correct Naruto might be able to help us all a lot more then he'd ever imagined"

* * *

_**don't hate me for making Kyubi a softee in this one. You'll get details on why in another chappie. **_

_**sorry about cutting the NejiXTen smut out, but you guys wern't really interested in it anways...right? **_

_**it's distracting from the story line...**_

_**there's more to life then smut anyways...**_

_**and besides you all have boyfriends/girlfriends to help you use your imagination... **_

_**oh alright if enough of you complain I'll go and fill in the details**_


	13. Time

**_Konnichi wa!_**

**_Sorry all my rabid fans, I had tried to post this yesterday morning, but alas, the site was down. And since I needed to hide from the cruel sun and go to work last night you're not getting it till today. But there is some good news that came from this waiting..._**

**_Blue Moiraine Sedai graced me with my 200th review! Damn guys! It was only chapter 11 that I was thanking you all for my 100th!_**

**_and to answer your question, yes I have read his books. I have both Eragon and Eldest. I didn't realize it but I do see you're point. "Little One" is something I have always used when speaking to babes and pregnant bellies. Toddlers up to about 5 it's replaced with the term "Sweetness". After that I call you "Hon" or "Love" I do not mean to say that in this instance Hinata is a newborn, but to Kyubi she is new and precious, and therefore his little one._**

**_Engelmohr2004 - yes he's nice to Hinata and a jack ass to Naruto! Naruto needs a kick in the ass every now and again. Hinata needs to feel loved and wanted. suck it up :)_**

**_Logophobia - there's tissues to the right, please clean up when you're finished and try not to leave the keyboard sticky. And I'm glad you enjoy my teasing, I try hard to please_**

**_RockLeesGirl93 - Hooray for me! Hooray for you too! hell just Hooray for all my readers, cause damn ya'll deserve it! GROUP HUG!_**

**_IceNight009 - yeah, that's kinda why I left out the Neji smut. It is a NaruXHina. I got a recomendation to put together an "outakes" story of sceans/smut that I edited out so that people could read it on the side and I could keep this storyline intact. I am very much contemplating it._**

**_the fat guy - that's almost harsh. I hope you mean you hate me in the "loving" way...if not, as I said in last chapter, send all hit requests to the ask-a-ninja_**

**_Clone Daniel - I'm glad you like my twist...i was wondering if anyone caught that -evilgryn-_**

**_Underdark Ranger - i never said anything of the like! everybody will get smutty sometime...even Neji. Yes, my lemon is turning a bit more hint - o - limey as this story progresses. ah well..we'll get there._**

**_Truth Is What... - I am accepting requests for one shots, I can give you a NaruxSakuxHina if you like...but sorry babe, not in this one LOL hey...nothing wrong with being a lech either, as long as you know and accept it_**

**_HyuugaTenTen hot - why yes they do! I will come up with some for you_**

**_KyubiKiba - Yes! Doumo Yami John! God you people are refering me? Wow...I feel honored. munches cookie_**

**_shadowkeepre - no, it's not faked. after art school i went to nursing school for two years to study to be a midwife. I had my CNA liscense and worked for Catholic Healthcare Services for a while before getting my job with the County Emergency Services. chuckles I actually do know what I'm talking about in those regards, but I don't know much about imunology, so that part I'm pulling out of my ass._**

**_Parcel - I'm sorry about the smut out...I will rectify that soon_**

**_FLCLrox - -giggles- Naruto fluids...yer evil_**

**_setoxserenity - thank you! I'll be here all week!_**

**_The Rouge Stallion - yeah the sidetracking is why I tried to leave the smut out. i do like yer poem though_**

**_for those of you who complained...I'm working on fitting the smut back in :) check back for that update or the "out takes" reel_**

**_alright...enough crap. you don't want to listen to this anyways you want the good stuff! Well..._**

**_It's time to roll out the barrel...cause the gang's all here!_**

**_I give to you, lucky chapter 13 _**

**_Teaser_**

* * *

Sakura barely got any sleep after Tsunade had busted in on her. Once she realized it was lost to her, she insisted that she get filled in everything that was going on. After that she definitely wasn't getting anymore rest that night. 

Now it was a little after 5:30 in the morning, and here she was getting ready to go back in the room again off of 4 hours of sleep. It was decided she would be best for the job not only because she could help boost Naruto's moral and Hinata's care at this point was fairly simple unless she either woke up or coded out on them, but because she didn't have the lab knowledge and she didn't know enough about toxicology/immunology to really be of help in the research side either. In fact, she was the only genin in the unit, as this kind of situation usually demanded more experience. She almost felt pushed aside because of this, but for the most part she didn't mind. Besides, she got to be near Naruto again.

After getting suited up, she grabbed the check list to see what she would need to bring in with her. The lab had two vials of a new serum they wanted her to try on Hinata for them. It was just an immuno-booster that they were hoping would help her fight it off better. There was also a note mentioning that if she stayed unconscious much further past the 24 hour mark they would have to look into nourishment options. Right now the drip fluids would be fine to provide electrolytes and glucose, but without actual caloric intake her body would start depleting it's reserves. Being an active shinobi as she was, Hinata didn't have much fat reserves, which would force her to start breaking down her muscle tissues. Sakura sighed to herself as she read over the rest of the notes. _'Looks like another exciting day of sitting and worrying'_ She gathered her supplies and climbed in the hatch.

She pulled the door firmly shut behind her, waiting for the go ahead signal that the seal was secure before proceeding in. When she finally pushed her way into the room, she was surprised to see Naruto still sitting in the exact same spot she left him. Yuhi, other medic opened her eyes sleepy at the sound of the door and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Neither of them have moved since you left. It's been so uneventful I could barely stay awake." Sakura blinked at this, shooting another glance at her blonde friend.

"You mean he's been there the whole time?"

Yuhi nodded, clearing up her paperwork and making room for the incoming stuff. "I tried to tell him he needs to get into bed and rest, he just muttered something about 'if Gaara doesn't need sleep why should I'...does that make any sense to you?"

Sakura giggled softly at that one. "Yeah...that sounds like something the dobe would say. He's my teammate... maybe I can talk some sense into him." They did their reports quickly before she helped the other out the exit hatch and turned her attention to the patients.

Naruto was slumped on the stool, his eyes half shut, his mouth wide open. The only sign he was alive was the sudden twitch when he'd catch himself about to fall over. Suddenly he felt someone mussing his hair from behind and a soft voice teased him, "Hey you...I thought I told you to get some sleep?"

He chuckled softly, somewhat hysterically. " Who needs sleep? I'll sleep when I'm dead." Before he knew it his arm was flug over a small set of shoulders and he was being hoisted around his middle. He reluctantly let go of Hinata's hand, to tired to fight his attacker physically, but unleashing a verbal barrage that would make Kakashi blush. As he turned to accost this hoodlum some more, he was startled to see those familiar Jade eyes not two inches from his face.

"Calm down, Naruto." Sakura soothed him. "I'm just gonna help you over to your bed. I wanna talk to you about some stuff, and you'll be much more comfortable over there." He blinked at her dumbly, the slow realization that those were her arms holding him up eventually reaching his sleep deprived brain. With a swift movement he pulled her against him, squeezing her hard in a desperate embrace and burying his face in her shoulder. She stumbled back for a moment, caught off guard and nearly dropping him. When she realized it was just a hug, she squeezed him gently back, enjoying the contact. She held him for a moment longer before she pat him on the back and tried to shake him out of it. "Come on hun, let's get you into bed."

They made their way across the room, to where he was plunked gracelessly down on the second hospital bed. Naruto stretched, giving a massive yawn as she bent down to life his feet in as well, forcing him to lye down. He chuckled up at her as she pulled the blankets up to tuck him in and sit down next to him.

"Gee, if I had known this is what it would take to get your to come to bed with me I would have tried it years ago."

"Baka" she giggled back, making a small fist and pushing his head gently to the side as he grinned at her stupidly. "You're lucky you're in the hospital all ready otherwise I'd put you in here for that. Now hold still and make a fist for me, I have to get some bloodwork from you." Sakura quickly tied the tourniquet and got started filling the vials for Tsunade. He stilled beside her, a calm expression washing across his face. She noticed his breathing slowing as she snapped the elastic off his arm and removed the needle, fearing he'd already fallen asleep. After putting everything safely away in her caddy, she turned to him for a moment. _'He needs his rest...I can talk to him later after he wakes up.'_ She ran a gloved hand over the whisker marks on his cheeks.

"Do you hate me, Sakura-chan?" he asked quietly, his eyes shut, his voice a whisper. She blinked at this.

"Naruto, why would you think I hate you?" His head was starting to loll over to the side as sleep begain to claim him. She moved his arm from where she had held it on her lap to do the draw, folding it across his chest and patting his hand gently. As she stood to leave his side he spoke out again before giving in completely.

"I'll always love you Sakura, you'll always be one of my precious people...no matter what..."

Sakura turned back to him, a slight ache starting in her chest at those words. "I love you to...you little idiot."

* * *

She lay there, content to be wrapped in his warmth. She was feeling terribly weak after she'd gotten over her initial panic, so she kept still, enjoying the gentle humming that emanated from him. It was starting to seem like they'd been here forever. He felt warm and safe, and sooo familiar. If only she could figure out why. She skritched playfully at his muzzle, eliciting a soft rumble of a growl to emanate beneath her. 

**_Feeling any better?_**

_Actually I'm getting quite tired. How long have I been here?_

**_It doesn't work the same way here, little one. You're no longer trapped in the linear movement of time._**

_Where is here again?_

A quiet sigh. **_You are right to be confused, but I'm not sure what comfort you'll find from any answers I have for you. I'm afraid I'll just upset you again._**

His red eyes were troubled, and she could feel his unease drifting off of him. She snuggled closer against him. _Please? I promise not to be mad at you...you've been so kind to me._

He nuzzled her gently back. **_Then ask what you wish, dear heart, and I will try my best to answer._**

_Who are you? Why do I feel like I've known you forever?_

_**Not forever, though I suppose this is not our first meeting either. You've seen me before, and I've been near you for a long time. I already told you, I'm a friend**_

_But do you have a name?_

A rumbling laugh. **_I have many. Some honorable, some horrible and some never spoken by human lips._**

She smiled at his riddle_. But none that you will admit to?_

**_No, little one, though I will happily answer to whatever name you would wish to give me._**

She thought quietly for a moment, deciding to proceed with her questions and worry about that later. _Where are we?_

Sigh **_We are not actually anywhere, but at the same time we're everywhere. We just are. This forest you see isn't really here...but it does very much exist in reality. Just as you have a body that holds your current shape, but at this moment those are not your real hands and eyes. I held this form once, but my fur is no longer there. We take these shapes because they are comforting...familiar..and they keep us from losing ourselves completely._**

He watched her for a moment, knowing it didn't make any sense. He could see her trying to grasp the concept but it just wasn't working.

**_Perhaps it will be easier if I show you._**

The forest flashed away to be replaced by the view from the top of the Hokage monument. After a moment it changed to the village square in Suna. It switched a dozen times: the Hyuga compound, the frozen mountains, a tropical beach, the waterfall, even a glimpse of the prison Naruto sees when he speaks to him, until the last image was replaced with the darkness she had encountered before meeting him. Panic started to set in at the vast expanse of the void around them, at the total all encompassing dark. He pulled her closer

**_ It's ok, I won't let you go._**

She soon realized he no longer was a fox, but had been replaced by a swirling cloud of what appeared to be red chakra wrapping completely around her. Likewise her body was gone, but she was a brighter blue. Where the two met they seemed to mix into a soft indigo. She noticed a thin coil that was curling off her and seemed to vanish into the distance.

_What's that? Why am I doing that?_

_**That, little one, I suppose you could call your life line. As I told you, you are not dead...not quite. As long as that thread ties you to your body, you can go back to it. If you're gone for too long, you'll be unable to sustain the connection, and your body will die, leaving you trapped.**_

He flashed back to the ancient forest, returning her to the illusion of being wrapped up by the large fox. The fear was back, and he quietly hated himself for having to scare her like that, but he supposed she needed to realize the gravity of the situation. Flashes of why she fled, the pain, the burning searing agony returned. She buried herself against him and he drew her closer, wrapping his very essence around her protectively.

_So if I die...I'll be stuck here with you forever?_

**_No. As much as I would enjoy that, you won't be with me. I can't say for sure what will happen to you. My fate is far different then the one you will experience._** She started to ask him again but he quieted her.**_ I've already upset you enough now...you need to not wear yourself out. We'll have to get you back to your body soon, and I'm afraid that won't be such a pleasant task. But I am happy to sit by you till then._**

**_

* * *

_**

"What do you mean 'all missions have been canceled?" a very irritated Kiba growled at a frustrated Iruka-sensei. The remaining gennin stood behind, their expressions ranging from irritation to boredom.

"I means that it's been decided that all non essential missions be canceled. The only ones still active are those that were already out in the field that haven't returned yet, and any critical A or B ranked." the chuunin replied calmly.

"But what does that mean?" Kiba asked again, trying to refrain from clawing the desk between them.

"It means that there is something troublesome afoot." Shikamaru chimed in from behind. "And you should enjoy this break while you can."The other's turned to look at him as he shook his head and strolled out of the building.

"Oi! Shika wait!" Ino called, grabbing Choji and running out after him. The others hurried behind, wondering what was going on and if the lazy teme actually knew anything, or was just jerking them around. They found him outside, leaning against a tree with his hands in his pockets. "Ok Shikamaru, spill it...what's going on?"

"I already did." came his annoyed response.

"So what is this 'troublesome' thing you're talking about?" Kiba jumped in again, annoyed that he was going to be stuck doing nothing all day. He unzipped his jacket and let Akamaru jump down to go ferreting in the bushes.

"If you think they tell me anything, you're giving me too much credit." the lazy nin replied, putting his hands behind his head. "Just cause I out rank you doesn't mean I know anything either. All I heard was something about village security or something."

"Village security?" Tenten asked, shaking her head to herself. "No they couldn't possibly be related...could they?"

"Do you know something, Tenten?" Lee asked her quietly, not realizing everyone was already fixed on the girl.

"No, not that I know of. It was just something me and Neji were talking about last night."

"Speaking of Neji, where is the snobby pain in the ass today anyways? Too good to grace us with his presence?" Kiba snarled, playing chew-tug with Akamaru and a stick he'd found on the ground.

"Do not insult my teammates, or I shall have to defend them with my youthful fists!" Lee shouted, jumping up to challenge the dog boy. "Bring it on stringbean!" Came the reply. Shino quietly placed himself between the two. "You're both being rude."

The pretty brunette grabbed Lee by the ear and drug him over by her, causing him to sit on the ground and sulk at being denied his glorious battle. "As I was saying, Neji and I were talking about things last night. He was telling me about some stuff that happened at the hospital yesterday Now I don't know everything, but apparently Hinata and Naruto aren't doing very well...the family is pretty worked up about this." She paused for a moment to gauge their reactions.

They were all frozen in a stunned silence. Kiba's jaw was on the ground. Ino looked confused, Choji had stopped mid bite, a potato chip hovering on front of his face. Shikamaru was incredulous. Lee was near tears. Even the usually stoic Shino looked dumbfounded at her, his glasses sliding slowly down his nose as his eyebrows raised in surprise. She sighed, fearing she'd said to much.

"Like I said, I don't really know anything...but it's getting bad...really bad in there. They won't even let Neji or the Hyuga's in to see her, and that was the excuse they used...that it was 'a matter of Village Security'"

The air was heavy with the tension, till Shikamaru broke it with a long, low whistle. "Talk about troublesome, ne?"

* * *

Tsunade was as close to being ecstatic as she could come in the last few days. Things were finally starting to go right. A follow up message from the mist informed her they believed they had captured all the phoney medics who were secretly infecting villagers instead of treating them The majority of the people had actually had the original virus and were responding well to the supplies she had sent to them, however at this time those with the engineered version were still doomed. On another confusing note the new virus was so effective that it was killing it's hosts off to quickly, preventing the spread of it to others. They had lost many to this sick experiment. This part wasn't quite good news to her. 

They had also provided a clue as to how Naruto and Hinata had gotten infected. And for once her luck held up. Someone had apparently decided to wait till the end of the week before sterilizing or destroying their belongings, figuring it would be easier to do it with all the hospital linens from the unit at the same time. After searching the items, they found a greasy residue in the money pouch in Hinata's pack. Upon inspection in the lab it was confirmed to be full of the virus. If they hadn't decided to go through all this trouble with the quarantine, there was no telling how many people would be in here suffering or dead...including Tsunade herself.

Yes it seemed for once that the legendary sucker was actually being graced by good luck for once. She just hoped that trend would continue. Hinata was still stable, though her fever still threatened to come back if they didn't keep on it. She was still unresponsive, and appeared to be stuck in a deep comatose state. There was no telling at this point if this was due to the disease, or if possibly she had suffered some kind of brain damage during her seizures. For the most part, she was alright for now.

Naruto was at least giving them hope about being able to save her life. The lab was optimistic that they should be able to work something out. The only thing they needed at this point was time. She sighed,_ 'Time is the one thing we don't have much of.'_

And then there was the "other" matter...the one that made her sick to think about. It was definitely a priority, but she was a healer first. She couldn't even begin to think about what to do about that while her plate was full trying to prevent an epidemic in the village. She had sent messages to Jiraiya and Kakashi to return to the village ASAP, but it could still take weeks for them to arrive back from their missions. She hadn't told them much, hoping the curiosity and worry would carry them faster. The point she made that would draw them back... that Naruto is in grave danger. Knowing those two, that would bring them faster then any other disaster she could think of. Her thoughts were shattered however, by frantic screaming coming from outside her office window.

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN SHE'S DYING!" Kiba screamed rabidly. Shikamaru had him held fast in his shadow-bind, but the dog boy struggled hard against it. Akamaru tried to help free his master, his teeth clamped around the captors ankle. Lee stood protectively in front of his terrified teammate, both of them shocked at the rage their shaggy friend had unleashed towards her. 

"Kiba...calm down...just stop screaming and calm down..." Ino in front of him, her hands on either side of his head trying to get him to look at her and focus.

"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN DAMNIT! I WANNA KNOW WHERE THE FUCK SHE GETS OFF SPOUTING SUCH BULLSHIT!" He screamed back at her. Ino flinched a little but didn't back down.

"Kiba, she already said she didn't know anything..."

"DAMN RIGHT SHE DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING! HINATA'S NOT DYING! SHE CAN'T BE! WE JUST SAW HER THE OTHER DAY AND SHE WAS FINE DAMNIT!" the rage in his eyes was slowly being replaced with tears, his breathing ragged. She looked over his shoulder to see how Shika was holding up. He was trembling and sweating...looks like she had to work fast before he was let loose.

"It's ok hon, just listen to me ok? Tenten was just telling us what she heard from Neji and her family. Please calm down..." she brushed the tears off his cheeks, running her fingers through his coarse hair. "Please Kiba you're scaring us"

"I'M SCARING YOU? SHE'S THE ONE RUNNING AROUND...SPEWING OUT LIES! HINATA'S FAMILY HATES HER! THEY WANT HER DEAD...THEY...They..." his voice beginning to choke. "They would come up with such crap...she's not...she can't be..."

Shikamaru let out a groan as he let up, unable to restrain the boy any longer. Kiba launched forward, pulling Ino down with him. He collapsed onto her sobbing. She held him tightly as he pounded her back with weak fists like a 4 year old throwing a tantrum, cooing into his ear that they would go to the hospital and everything would be fine. Akamaru had released the leg, and was now whimpering at the bottom of the tangled pile. Everyone else just stood and stared, frightened by not only the small kunoichi's words, but the emotional display that it evoked. Only Shino looked away, not so much to save his team mates pride over crying in public, but because he too was fighting his own emotions. His head down, unable to hold it all back, he let a single tear slide down his cheek.


	14. Faith

_**Sorry about the lack of shout outs this time around. I have to be at work in an hour, and I wanted to get this up.**_

_**It's my birthday gift to you guys. (yeah, tomorrow is my birthday and I'm giving you guys a gift...figures)**_

_**All I ask is for more of your wonderful reviews!**_

_**I do have one bit of news for ya'll:**_

_**At the begining of this story I stated how this story was first started on TONFA. Well, one of my loyal following on that site, Madame Mere has offered to do a comic/manga version of my favorite part of the story. I am not sure if by part she means chapter or scean just yet, but I am asking for votes! I know that I will proably get a lot of req for the more hentai parts, but lets try and be a bit serious about this guys! Whatever is finally decided on I will post the finished comic to my profile so you can all enjoy it. **_

_**Anyways, I'm running out of time here before work, and you guys are going to eat me alive if I dont' get something up soon -giggles- I love my rabid fans.**_

_** -gives birthday cake to all-**_

_**ja ne!**_

_**Teaser **_

* * *

Neji was lying under the gardenia bush in the meditation garden again. It had been two days since Hiashi passed the vigil at the hospital to him, the elder Hyuga unable to bear the task any longer. He was a man of action, and all this helpless sitting around had pushed him to the edge of his sanity. He left Neji to wait at the hospital for news while he went back to the compound and took care of the work piling up in this office. Normally the head of household couldn't stand the paperwork and the mediation of the often childish family squabbling. But he couldn't stand to sit there and worry about Hinata anymore.

It had also been two days since the confrontation with Kiba. The pale young man ran a finger along his still aching jaw, remembering what had happened.

Neji had been waiting inside the hospital at the doors to the quarantine unit for word from the Gondamie, using his Byakagun to steal a peek in on his sickly cousin. Her chakra levels barely registered, he was surprised she was even alive at this point. She looked tiny and frail with all those machines surrounding her. What he wouldn't give for her to sit up and fidget, hell he would even accept a stuttering apology from her at this point. Those childish mannerisms of hers that irritated him to no end now breaking his heart at the thought that he would never have to put up with them again. He was jolted out of his reverie by a sudden feral growling.

Just as he deactivated his jutsu pain ripped through the side of his face. He managed to catch himself and grabbed the fist that pummeled him, startled to find it belonging to Hinata's mangy teammate. Angry to have been caught off guard he spun, using his attackers momentum to toss him over his shoulder and across the hallway. By the time Kiba had picked himself off the floor, the young genius had assumed a defensive stance, glaring harshly at the boy that Lee was now holding back from him.

"What is the meaning of this? Why did you attack me?" Neji demanded, realizing that he wasn't alone. Indeed it seemed the entire group was here, save for the three inside the ward. Tenten ran to him trying to calm him while Ino did the same with Kiba, who tried to push her out of his way. Shino and Choji kept back, but even the bug user seemed to be more unfriendly towards him then usual. Shikamaru was a step or two behind Ino, watching tensely in case he needed to yank her out of the middle of it.

"Are you enjoying yourself? Getting your jollies off watching her waste away?" the dog boy spat at him, lips curled back in a sneer. The look in his eyes was pure hatred as he rose to his feet. Neji'd never seen such malice before, especially not among any of his peers.

"What on earth are you raving about? This is a hospital, not a schoolyard. Show some respect." He eased out of defensive mode as Tenten wrapped her arms around him.

"Come on Neji," she whispered into his ear, pleading with him. "He's out of control right now, it'd be best if we just left." He glanced down at her, surprised to feel her tremble against him. She was terrified, and that only angered him more.

"You'd better listen to her, pretty boy." Kiba snarled back, biting his thumb at them. "You're not wanted here. And besides, don't you have to run home to plan that big celebration with the rest of that joke you call family?"

"Kiba, you better shut your mouth right now before you say something you're gonna regret." Ino warned him harshly. He scoffed at her, as if there wasn't anything that he would possibly regret about this situtaion.

The corridor was filling with people; medical staff, patients, curious visitors. Someone stated something about getting security over there now. Shikamaru cringed and shook his head, muttering again how troublesome this all was.

Lee had made his way over to his team, keeping an eye on the others. He placed a firm hand on Neji's shoulder. "Come my friend, don't listen to the barking of the rabid mutt over there. Let's go before the dogcatchers come to put him down." The Hyuga looked confused for a moment. As he started to ask what was going on a small hand covered his lips gently. He looked down at the sad brown eyes looking up at him.

"Don't." Tenten said in reply, turning to glare back at the smirking beast master. "It's exactly what he wants, don't give him the pleasure. Let him throw a tantrum if he wants to act like a baby, but don't encourage him."

He followed her gaze, watching as his attacker flexed his fingers, itching to beat something. He could see the desperation in his face, as if he was begging him to fight him. Neji nodded somberly, reigning in his emotions. "Alright, lets go then."

He paused as they turned to leave, surprised at the crunching noise beneath his feet. He looked down to find the floor scattered in broken glass, gardenia blossoms and water. A growl rose again from across the room, Kibas' face flushing with his fury. Ino had a hand on his cheek, trying to turn him to look at her. Neji could hear her telling Kiba not to get so angry, she had more at the shop they could replace them with. With a sigh, he stepped carefully over the mess of flowers, not wanting to irritate the boy anymore and left, ignoring the hateful words spewed at his back.

----

Now he sat here, surrounded by more of those very same blossoms. He plucked one of the creamy white flowers, breathing in it's heavy perfume. He knew perfectly well why Kiba had been enraged about their destruction that day. They were one of Hinata's favorite flowers. Neji wasn't sure if she had a clear 'favorite', but he knew on the list this was definitely at the top. They had been training one day, and after he had knocked her to the ground once several of them had spilled out of her pocket. She had turned red when he asked her why she had them, and nervously explained that she found their scent calming. On a mission shortly after that, he'd found a woman in a nearby village who made and sold plant essences. She had a perfect copy of the fragrance in an oil. He gave Hinata a bottle, surprising her one day after he caught her in the garden lamenting quietly to herself as the last bloom of the season withered. The quiet girl had been dismayed at first when she tried it on her sensitive skin only to develop a slight rash. But she soon found if she put a few drops in her shampoo it worked even better. Now he couldn't see or smell the blossoms without being reminded of his shy cousin. _ 'No wonder Hiashi couldn't stand to sit here anymore...' _he mused to himself.

Indeed, it was just as he had pointed out on their first visit. The whole garden seemed to remind him in some way of Hinata. _'Leave it to her to design a place for troubled souls to find peace and serenity.'_ He could easily picture her here, most likely kneeling at the edge of the koi pond, feeding them like the ones back in the family garden. She had the most amazing connection to those fish. He'd caught her many times, her soft laughter drawing him to her secluded corner of the grounds. She would be sitting on the ground, her hands in the water as the fish took the food directly from her, tickling her hands and fingers as their hungry mouths kissed them. He watched with amazment as some of the larger ones would even come to her when she didn't have food, coming up to the surface and letting her stroke their colorful bodies. It was like watching a whole other person. Her eyes bright, her movements graceful, and her face shone with that charming smile. She would be a beautiful woman if only she weren't always looking down.

_'You've got to stop doing this to yourself or you'll go mad,'_ he told himself harshly, shaking the memories from his head. He contemplated going inside to wait for the days status report, but he didn't dare. He knew what was waiting inside, and it wasn't worth the risk. He'd rather sit out here and quietly lose his sanity from the worry then have to bludgeon her misguided friends. He shook his head with a sigh, remembering what Tenten had told him about what sparked the incident._ 'They mean well,'_ he told himself. _'Maybe when things calm down they'll listen to reason.'_

* * *

"Alright Hinata-chan, it's time to work on those legs! Don't think you're getting out of training just because your unconscious!"

Sakura rolled her eyes at the blondes enthusiastic comments, watching him gently manipulate the comatose girls limbs. She had gotten tired of Naruto's moping around the place till finally she turned to him and told him if he was sick of feeling helpless he should get off his widening ass and do something to help. He had jumped at the chance and now he passed most of his time happily playing nursemaid, following Sakura's instructions and talking to himself. Well...talking to Hinata...but since she was unable to respond he would ramble on wherever his thoughts took him. It was both heartwarming and sad to watch.

He was especially diligent about her "exercises." Three times a day he would move her arms and stretch her legs to keep the muscles from atrophying. The serum they'd been giving her was helping to keep her fever down, but it still hadn't broken completely, and the virus was still winning. It was begining to take a toll on her organs, and the staff was concerned that if a cure wasn't found in the next few days it would be too late. Of course, she didn't dare share those concerns with Naruto. He was convinced she would beat this, that he would help her. And of course, she felt guilty about encouraging him to believe that.

It all started when he woke up while she was bathing the poor girl. It was nothing more then a sponge down to remove the sweat and try to cool her down some more, but when he woke up the curtain had been pulled and Sakura was talking quietly to no one apparently. She had no idea how long he had been listening to her filing the girl in on what was going on with everyone till he called to her from the other side.

"Sakura-chan? Who are you talking to?"

"Hinata"

"She's Awake? Let me in I wanna talk to her!" The curtain started bulging oddly as he fought to find the opening in.

"You open that curtain I'm going to knock you senseless, dobe! She's not awake...she's getting a bath in here right now and deserves some privacy from perverted blonde chibis like yourself!" The moving curtain stopped, and it was quiet for a moment.

"But...if she's not awake...why are you talking to her?" There was pain in his voice, a pain that made her heart break for him. She explained how they believed that coma patients went through different levels of unconsciousness, and that in some of those the brain would respond to different stimuli, especially to the sound of a loved ones voice.

"In short, maybe if we talk to her, she'll hear us and wake up."

----

_'He'd barely shut up since then...and that was two days ago.'_ she mused to herself, watching as Naruto carefully repositioned Hinata on her side, placing a pillow under her back to make her comfortable and then gently tucking her under the sheets. He kneeled down next to the bed, his face a few inches from the sleeping girls. He whispered gently to her, his right hand lightly stroking her wrist near the iv that was still buried in her skin. Sakura turned back to her reports, recognizing another one of his "private moments", wondering what it was he said to her when he got like this.

Naruto sat there, his chin resting on his left arm. At some point he had gotten used to all the tubes and wires, although some of them had been removed, while others had been added. The thin feeding tube that had been inserted in her nose and taped to her cheek no longer bothered him as much as the red marks on her skin from where everything rubbed. Her cheeks were drawn under the oxygen mask. He could see how much weight she was losing, though he tried to tell himself it was mostly water from her constant sweating. Her skin was damp and clammy all the time, but she didn't burn under his touch so badly anymore. He still felt she was to warm for his likes though.

" Hey...can you hear me babe? I know you're in there somewhere..." he traced his finger lightly over the back of her hand, following the delicate blue lines of her blood vessels as he tried to keep track of the thoughts running through his head. "I wish I knew how to reach you...how to fix you..." He sighed deeply.

Naruto started humming softly, reaching up and brushing the stray hairs off her damp forehead. He let his fingers slid down lightly, caressing her cheek and following the line of her jaw to her neck, pausing over the spot where he had marked her. It was mostly gone now, having faded from it's angry purple to that odd green and yellow of a nearly healed bruise. There was still a lite ring of teeth marks though, etched there permanently.

"Did I make you happy, Hinata? I'm not so good when it comes to others sometimes...I'm sorry if I messed anything up..." He thought back on their days in the woods. He liked to think it had been a good thing for her as well. _'She seemed happy'_ he mused quietly, remembering her laughter at his corny jokes, the blush on her cheeks. He could picture the sunlight in her hair, the moonlight on her skin, that look on her face when she gazed at him with her soft, pearly eyes. He'd give anything to see those gentle eyes again, or just one of those charming smiles. He pulled his hand back softly, returning it to wrap around her fingers.

"Please don't leave me already, don't leave me alone again. Why does everyone I care about leave me?" he fought back the tears that were threatening to come. "God I miss you."

He knew the situation was getting to be hopeless. Sakura wouldn't say anything to him, but he could tell it wasn't looking good. He just had to keep her going a little longer, he was positive Granny-Tsunade could come up with a cure for her in time. He squeezed her limp hand, still amazed at how small and easily it fit into his. He bit back his anger, trying to keep the desperation from showing in his voice.

"Come on Hinata-chan. We need you. Not just me either. Everyone's falling apart without you. You're stronger then this, I believe in you. Now fight, dammit!" He lifted her hand and kissed her palm lightly. "We won't give up on you...don't you dare give up on yourself."

-----

The pale young man deactivated and closed his all seeing eyes, leaning back against the magnolia tree and digesting what he'd just witnessed. The gentle touch of shaking hands and whispered words that seemed to fall on deaf ears. The look of pain and desperation on that normally beaming face. He breathed in deep, holding in the flowery perfume before letting it rush back out. _'If anyone can reach her, it's you Naruto. She always listened to you...don't let her slip away'_

* * *

Tsunade paused outside the door into the ward, watching the dozing form. Propped up against the corner, greasy brown hair even messier then normal, red face paint smeared across cheeks and nose, and the small ball of white fur twitching in his lap. She giggled to herself as she watched the running motion all dogs seem to make when they dream. _'I wonder Akamaru...do you dream of chasing bunnies...or ninjas?"_

Kiba and his companion had parked themselves in that corner a few days ago, the self appointed gaurd dogs of the unit. Other then for brief periods of time they never left the spot. Shino came and went, recognizing the futility of holding the post, but he would bring food and sit quietly by Kiba's side, waiting for something to happen. The bug user was probably out now getting dinner. The Gondamie squatted down and ruffled the boys hair, watching as sleepy brown eyes rose to meet hers. He blinked for a moment till it registered who was facing him and he started, nearly tossing poor Akamaru out of his lap.

"What's wrong? Something happened didn't it? Dear kami please don't tell me..." he was cut off as she chuckled softly at him.

"Nothings wrong, unless you consider the stink you're filling my hospital with." She pointed at the pile of half eaten food containers next to him watching as he blushed slightly. He stretched and ran a hand down his cheek, smearing the paint even further beyond recognition. "When was the last time you took a shower?" she asked him teasingly.

He glared at her defensively for a moment. "Are you saying I stink?" She laughed at that.

"No, what I'm saying is you haven't moved from this spot other then to take Akamaru outside or for your own bathroom break. I don't even think you've changed your clothes since you planted your ass there." she pointed to the neatly folded pile sitting on the other side of him, the ones someone had been sure to bring for him that he obviously hasn't touched. He gave a sad sigh in response.

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but I can't leave. I wanna be here when..." he paused, averting his eyes and fighting for the words to come. "If anything happens I wanna know about it." he finally finished.

She thought back on incident the other day, how she nearly threw him out of the hospital and banned him from returning till the whole mess with Hinata was over. He'd apologized profusely, a rare thing from him, especially in public. How he'd pleaded with her to let him stay, swearing he wouldn't blow up again, how he'd go mad if she made him leave the hospital. And how since then he'd sat here in his corner, sulking quietly to himself, refusing to leave. Staff had offered him a chair after the first day, and yesterday one of the nurses had even tried to talk him into napping in a vacant room. He refused any form of comfort for himself, preferring to keep to his watch like an un-moving sentinel. _'I knew Inuzuka's were loyal almost to a fault...but I had no idea it went quite this far'_ she pondered as she reached down to take his shaking hand.

"Kiba, I want you to listen to me for a second." His eyes rose up to meet hers again, brown and sad and soulful. "Hinata has been in stable condition since we moved her. Her vital signs are good, we don't have her on any form of life support. She's holding her own. She's comfortable and she's safe..." he started to roll his eyes at that one, so she grabed his chin and made him focus. "I'm serious Kiba. Naruto's in there and he's making sure of it. You know how protective he is of everyone." The dog boy laughed quietly and nodded.

"How is the annoying little idiot anyways?" he asked, feeling guilty for almost forgetting he was in there as well.

"Naruto, is Naruto..." Tsunade said with a laugh and shake of her head. "He's got some kind of uber immune system, the virus is almost completely ineffective against him. We're trying to use that to our advantage. Actually it's why I'm back here, the lab called me down saying they thought they had something."

"Damn him" Kiba chuckled. "Always gotta find some way to play the hero doesn't he?" They looked at each other for a moment before laughing at the irony of it.

"Anyways...my point is that you can afford to be kinder to yourself. You know she wouldn't approve of you carrying on like this because of her. Why don't you go around the corner, I think room 156 is open. Go get a hot shower and brush those rotting fangs of yours, cause yes you do stink. And while your in there lay down and get some real sleep."

The young man sighed again, looking back at the blank door, knowing she was right. "Is that an order from the Hokage?" he said with a slight smirk.

"It is if it has to be." She flicked him gently in the forehead. "Go, or I'll tell Hinata when she wakes up and you'll have to answer to her." She watched as he jumped at that, grabbing the clothes and toiletries that had been brought for him and got up to go find that room.

"Oi, Kiba" she called after him again, watching as he looked back over his shoulder. "Naruto is convinced she's going to beat this. And I'll be damned if I let her go without a fight. If there was ever a time to believe in her...it's now." He nodded somberly and continued on his way.

* * *

Sakura ran a hand through her damp hair as she shoved her stuff back into the locker in the decon room. She was starting to get used to the routine; Get up, get in, yell at Naruto, get out, get showered, go to bed. _'Actually, without the bio-hazard get up it's not that much different from old times'_ she giggled to herself. But it wouldn't be for much longer. The virus was completely out of his system, it seemed there was no reason to keep him locked up anymore other then they needed his blood for testing. It was frightening how fast he could replace lost blood. Normal humans can only stand to give a pint or two ever 6 months...Naruto had already given four to the cause of curing Hinata and protecting the village, and now that they new he no longer had the virus, just the antibodies they wanted another two in the next few days. The guy was a walking blood bank. She grabbed her towel and headed into the hallway, planning to stop in the kitchen for some dinner before collapsing in bed.

She was startled when she opened the door to find her sensei there, leaning up against the wall with a fist closed in front of her eyes and a troubled look on her face. As she lifed her gaze to meet Sakura, the fist lowered and opened. The girl gasped involuntarily, seeing the small syringe filled with a pale amber liquid.

"Is that..." she asked quietly. The older woman nodded silently, watching her. Green eyes closed for a moment, steeling themselves as she took a deep breath and nodded back. "Alright...lets do it."

Tsunade raised a thin eyebrow, concern creasing her forehead. "Are you sure? You don't have to do this...we can always..." the younger girl cut her off.

"No, it makes more sense for me to do it. Everyone else is needed more, and besides, I want to." She was already rolling the sleeve of her tee-shirt up. Sakura gave her a determined look. "Go ahead, I'm ready."

Tsunade paused for a moment, then stepped forward and injected the liquid into the girls shoulder. She ran her hand over the skin when she was done. "You better get some rest. Someone will be coming in to check on you every so often overnight, if you feel sick or need anything...just let us know. Tomorrow we find out if we're all crazy or if this just might work. The pink haired girl nodded, placing her hand over her teachers. They stood there for a moment longer.

"You have no idea what this means for the village" she added softly.

"That's why I'm here isn't it?" Sakura said in reply.

* * *

**_it's my weekend off...so I have 3 days to do nothing but party and finish the next chapter! I hope to have it up by monday! _**


	15. Hope

_**Hey! I didn't forget about you guys!**_

_**This is my LONGEST chapter to this story to date! Took me a little longer but was soo worth it I think.**_

_**Also, thanks to shaddowdagger and hyugafan on TONFA (who started turning my reviews into more of a message board to each other to debate and threaten me -teehee-) I have opened an authors journal as well as an lj community where you guys can kevetch back and forth about me. I'm also going to post the comic there when it's ready, plus teasers and other tidbits. links are listed in my profile swing on by and join up..you know you want to. it's only a day or two old so it needs some more work and some members (sorry, I was working on this chapter so I coudln't make it to pretty yet.)**_

_** If anyone would care to design a layout for it for me I would love you forever. I have a couple kyubi images I would like to use, but with the stories I don't have much time to muck with the graphics.**_

_** I love all your reiviews, but without further ado I give you all...**_

_** HOPE**_

_**-Teaser **_

* * *

Naruto awoke the same way he always did these days, to the throbbing of a headache and the sting of tears in his eyes. He had that damn dream again. 

For the past few days every time he dozed off he had the exact same dream. Hinata in some ancient forest, snuggling a large fluffy creature that almost looked like a cuter version of Kyubi. He'd call to her and she lift her head, as if she could almost hear him, but she never turned towards him. He'd run to try and get close, to hold her, but he could never get any where near her. He'd finally launch himself at them, straining with everything he had, only to wake up to empty hands.

He reached up sleepily with his right hand to rub his pounding head, keeping his eyes closed against those damn florescent lights. _'sleeping with those things on would give anyone a headache.'_ he muttered to himself. As he lay there waiting for the pain to subside he felt the familiar snap of the tourniquet around his left bicep. He'd stopped sleeping in a shirt since he had limited clothing options, and plus because it made his morning bloodletting easier. He chuckled softly.

"Geeze hon, can't even wait for a guy to sit up before you decide to play vampire on him." he teased jokingly, waiting for Sakura to give a poke and a smart remark back.

"I'm sorry, DEAR, but Tsuande want's this blood now." replied a deep, manly voice that was definitely not his pink haired teammate.

Naruto jumped about three feet in the air, pulling his arm away and yanking the sheets up defensively, staring at the startled brown eyed many who had been just about to jam a butterfly hookup into his arm to take two bags of blood.

"Who...Who the hell are YOU?" The blonde questioned loudly. The medical nin rolled his eyes and pretended to smile under his mask.

"Hi, my name is Tama and I'll be your waiter for today...can I start you off with a nice appetizer?" he said sarcastically. Naruto glared at him.

"Where's Sakura? I thought she was the one who was supposed to be in here during the days?"

"I don't know. I was told I'm taking over for her."

"Why? What happened to her?"

"I don't know, they didn't tell me that."

"Well did they tell you anything?"

"Just that I'm supposed to be in here, take two pints of blood from you, give them to the lab, and then take care of the girl who's in there with you."  
"Well why would they pull Sakura out of here?" Naruto was starting to get whiny at this point and Tama was clearly getting annoyed.

"Maybe because you drove her crazy and they had to lock her up in the mental ward, now can I please draw your blood and get on with my work?" he glared back at the foxchild, holding out his empty hand waiting for the arm to be returned to it's grasp. Naruto glared at him once more for good measure before grudgingly holding out his arm. He winced as the man jabbed him a little harder then necessary and quickly got to work filling the bags. This was the beginning of a horrible relationship.

The two continued to butt heads the rest of the day. Tama didn't let Naruto do any of the stuff for Hinata that Sakura let him do for her. He barely let the young man sit by her side and hold her hand. And after a few hours the medic snapped at him for his incessant chatter with himself, drawing the line.

"Well ex-cuooooooose me! But what do you expect me to do in here with myself?" Nartuo yelled at him after being told he couldn't talk to Hinata anymore because it was giving the slave driver at the desk a headache. Tama finally turned and threw the book at him.

Well...not THE book, but A book. Naruto had managed to dodge it, and had picked it up intending to fling it back much harder when he noticed the title on it:

** Advanced Chakra Therapies and Techniques**

He looked at it for a moment, then flipped it open to scan the first few pages. _'How long has this been sitting over there?'_ he pondered to himself, intrigued by the secrets held inside. Turning back to the cover, he saw Sakura's name written in her perfect hand on the inside. He grinned to himself, sitting on the bed and reading through the first section, wondering if she had mastered any of these techniques yet or was just getting to studying it. He had noticed Hinata's chakra levels were slowly dropping...maybe there was something in here he could use to help her.

Tama turned, surprised at the sudden peace in the room. He noticed his ward had parked himself back on his bed, focused intently on the contents of the book that had been hurled at him. Seeing the title, the chuunin chuckled softly to himself and turned back to his work, hoping he wouldn't be asked to explain any of it since most of that stuff he didn't even know yet.

* * *

_'Oh dear Kami...why did I agree to this again?_

Sakura was on the bathroom floor, her head resting on the cold porcelain of the toilet she was clinging to as another wave of vertigo washed over her. He left shoulder was sore and swollen around the injection site, the skin red and hot to the touch. As the room stopped spinning the bile settled in her stomach again. She took a few deep breaths, trying to decide if it was worth trying to get off the floor or if she should wait a little while longer when the voice came up behind her.

"I hope it's not really as bad as it looks." her mentor stated softly. The girl at the commode chuckled, not daring to turn to look for fear the room would decide on a few more laps.

"Nah, as long as I have something to hold onto I should be fine. Just don't ask me to move from this spot." A cool hand was placed on the back of her neck.

"How about just a little? I need to get your vitals and figure out how you're doing here. Ok?" Sakura paused for a moment, collecting herself mentally before she timidly moved to lean against the wall. She smiled up at the masked woman as she sat back.

"I think the worst might be over...the vertigo seems to be lightening up on me." Tsunade shook her head as she knelt down to check her over and ask her about her current symptoms. Going through the list, it seemed maybe she was right. She was running a slight fever that had started about four hours after injection. Now, a little over 12 hours the fever was already dissipating. Sakura had gotten pretty sick for a while there too, the nausea and dizzyness forcing her to spend most of the night here in the bathroom, unable to get very far off the ground or from the toilet. While it was obviously still affecting her, she was at least able to sit upright now.

"I think you might be right on that one." the elder stated once she was done with the examination. "Heart rate and blood pressure are elevated, but that was to be expected. Everything was in well acceptable parameters. I think maybe the only real problem we have is working out the dosage. We might'a given you a bit to much, and that could be why you're having such a time with it.

She stood, reaching down to Sakura to offer her a hand up. The dizzy girl pondered the offer for a second, her breathing still ragged from the last attack, before she grabbed the proffered hand and pulled herself onto shaky feet. The room lurched for a moment, and she swayed dangerously while grabbing the counter with her free hand. As it settled she righted herself slowly.

"Does this mean I'll finally be able to get some sleep in the bed and not on the tile?" she joked, exhaustion finally raising it's ugly head as they slowly made their way back into the bedroom.

"I hope so. If your symptoms let up, we'll let you rest till later. We can wait to start the blood tests till then, and if everything goes well overnight, then tomorrow we can move on...if you're ready that is." Tsunade help her ease down onto the bed, watching as she slowly crawled onto it to lie down. Sakura nodded weakly, letting a groan escape her as she settled into the soft pillows. _'She probably isn't even paying any attention to me anymore...not that I blame her.'_ she thought to herself, watching the young test subject drift slowly off to sleep.

* * *

She felt drained lying there against her sly friend, and she was noticing how it was beginning to affect her perception. While he still felt amazingly warm against her, everything else was starting to seem faded and muted. The shadows seemed to creep towards her and the light was dimming. He shifted restlessly around her, almost nervously. From time to time he would seem to flare-up around her, his temperature rising, and she would suddenly not feel so weak, but he was reluctant to do it too often or two much. Not that she wanted him to. As her energy seemed to dissipate, she found herself oddly as peace with it, while he seemed slightly more aggitated.

_**'Are you alright, little one?'**_

_'Yes, love...I'm just very tired now.'_

he shifted again with a soft whine, licking her forehead lightly and giving another flare. She sighed at the pins and needles sensation that coursed through her briefly before she pushed him gently away.

_'Please...you've done enough for me. Maybe this is for the best.'_

_**'Don't you even want to try and go back? You're wanted...needed back there...'**_

_'Yes, but I don't know how...and I'm so very tired...I don't know if I could make it, love.'_

_**'Why do you call me that, little one?'**_ he asked with a slight chuckle. She'd been doing it for a while, and he decided he had better ask her now while he had the chance to get an answer.

_'Well, why do you call me that?'_ she teased back lightly.

_**'Because you are.'**_ he replied, giving her another affectionate nuzzle. She pulled him closer, shivering with a soft giggle.

_'Exactly'_

_sigh **'Hold on just a little more, you're chance will come...I know it will.'**_

_'Alright...if you insist'_

_

* * *

_

Kiba sulked quietly as he walked back to the hospital, Ino clinging gently to his arm. She had shown up at the hospital with Shino and Shikamaru, who had all conspired together to get him out the building for a while. He had fought their plans valiantly as they tried to physically remove him, until he realized even Akamaru was trying to get him outside. With even his K9 companion against him, he growled and relented. Shino and Shika had settled down in his place outside the door, while Ino drug him out for some lunch and fresh air.

Watching Akamaru frolic along ahead of them, chasing butterflies and sniffing under ever bush, Kiba had to admit it had been a pleasant distraction. The blonde had made a pile of food and they'd had a picnic down by the river. She'd even done a decent job with conversation, making him almost forget about those cold hospital walls and his dear friends locked inside. But now that they were headed back, he suddenly felt guilty about everything.

"Ino..." he said as he came to a halt, stopping her with him. "Why are you guys doing this for me?"

"Doing what?" she asked, looking back at him with concern.

"Just...everything. I've been nothing but a pain in the ass, and you guys have gone out of your way to be nice to me. If it had been the other way around I probably would have just walked out on you guys instead of putting up with the shit I've put your guys through." he looked away, shame flooding his brown puppy dog eyes. She squeezed his arm fondly, drawing his attention back to her.

"Baka, you'd do no such thing. You're as loyal as it comes when your friends are involved, especially your teammates...and especially Hinata. We all can sympathize with what you're going through. You just lash out more because that's how you are...how much do you want to bet if it was me in there that you'd be doing the same thing for Shika and Choji?

Kiba looked back at the pretty kunoichi next to him and thought on that. He could picture Choji slowly wasting away, his appetite nonexistent due to worry. And as for Shikamaru? He suppressed a chuckle at the thought that maybe the lazy teme might actually get off his ass and do something, or try to anyways. With a smile he shrugged her off his arm and gave her a friendly hug.

"Arigatou, Ino...for putting up with a thickheaded bastard like myself." She squeezed him back, glad to have managed to get a smile back on his face.

"Anytime, dogboy." She giggled back. "I'm just glad you finally got enough sense in your head to have taken a shower...I decided on the river cause I thought I was going to have to dunk you in it! I don't know who smelled worse, you or your dog!" There was a sudden, indignant bark at her feet, as if Akamaru was insulted at the thought that he smelled badly.

"I agree...she just doesn't have the sense to appreciate it." Kiba answered, getting a poke in the ribs for that comment. With an evil grin, he took advantage of their position to pinch the blondes ass and then tore off at full speed laughing. Ino was frozen in shock for a moment, her hand slapped over the sore spot he made on her lower cheek. _'Oh he did not just do that...'_ Realizing he was getting away, she flew off after him.

"Oh you better run boy! Cause you're gonna need that hospital when I get my hands on you!"

She chased him the rest of the way there, the two laughing and throwing playful insults back and forth at each other. As they approached the side where the gardens were Kiba froze, recognizing someones scent lingering among the plants. Ino hadn't realized what was going on and, unable to stop in time, crashed gracelessly into him. She sat on the ground, rubbing her aching head.

"What the hell..." she was cutoff when he placed a finger over her lips. Kiba helped her up wordlessly and then leaned down to whisper into her ear.

"Take Akamaru and go inside to wait with the others...there's something I have to take care of first." A thin eyebrow arched back at him questioningly.

"Kiba...what is it? What do you have to do?" He shushed her again, scooping the dog up and placing him firmly in her arms.

"Don't worry about it, just listen to me ok. I'll be right behind you, I just need a moment alone." Akamaru whimpered back up at him, also smelling the person among the flowers. He gave his masters hand a lick, looking at him with pleading eyes. "Don't worry buddy, I promise I'm not going to cause any trouble." He squeezed Ino's shoulder gently and then watched as she reluctantly headed inside without him. He turned and headed into the garden, pausing under the magnolia tree.

"Alright, come on out genius, those flowers are doing nothing to hide your stench from me." He watched calmly as Neji dropped gracefully out of the branches, rising into a defensive stance. Kiba sighed softly. "Put it away, Neji...that's not why I'm here."

Pale eyes took in the subject, contemplating what happened last time his guard was down and weighing the risk. After a moment he stood, silently placing his hands in his pockets and glaring at the brunette before him. He waiting patiently for the reason he was being pulled away from his thoughts. Kiba sighed again, scratching his head absentmindedly as he tried to get the words together.

"Look...I uh...I owe you an apology." he finally muttered. Neji raised an eyebrow, a slightly surprised look marring his stoic features. _'Why is everyone so shocked whenever I try to apologize?'_ he thought to himself before continuing with what he was saying. " I uh...I was way outta line, and I said some things that shouldn't have been said...I just..." he sighed again, fidgeting. "I'm just no good when it comes to emotional stuff. I tend to just explode and...well...yeah." He looked up at the Hyuga before him, extending a hand and waiting for some kind of response.

The older boy watched him for a moment, considering the words he'd just heard. Kiba's eyes seemed sincere, you could almost feel the pain emanating off of him. He thought back on the incident and what he had been told happened before. Digesting everything carefully, he watched as the younger one started to squirm nervously. He looked deeply into those brown eyes, probing for the truth.

"Does she really think that we...that I...hate her?" trying to keep his voice from cracking at the words.

Kiba flinched for a moment, remembering those words flying out of his mouth followed by Ino's warning about regretting his actions. _'Damn you woman for always having to be right.'_

"I honestly don't know what she really thinks..." he replied softly, not wanting to rip open old wounds or create new ones. "I do know that most of the time she feels unwanted, unappreciated, and unaccepted. Sometimes it drives her to work harder but other times..." he left it to trail off, watching her cousins reaction to his words. He could see the pain they caused him. "As I said, I can't speak for her. You'd need to take that up with Hinata."

They stood there for another moment in silence before the hand was offered again. With a smirk it was accepted. Kiba grinned broadly.

"Come on...the others are inside waiting. Maybe we can join forces and storm the ward, finally get some real answers."

"As long as you watch who you sucker punch." Neji replied, rubbing his jaw absentmindedly.

* * *

Naruto had sat there all day, devouring the contents of the book. Most of the things described he didn't need to worry about, although learning them at another time might actually come in handy. But there were three that seemed promising, with one in particular that kept drawing him back. He read and re-read the procedure, studying the diagram showing hand placement. He'd been dying to actually practice it, but didn't trust that Tama guy around when he did it.

But now it was about 10:15 at night, and good'ol Yuhi was sleeping at the desk as usual. Not that he could blame her, it's not like she had a whole heck of a lot to do in there. She got her stuff out of the way, and then once Naruto was asleep - or at least pretending to be - she would turn up the volume on the alarms, make herself comfy and doze off as well.

_'Now I've got all night to work on this without any interruptions'_ he thought with a mischievous grin. He read over the procedure one last time before he centered himself, calming his thoughts and beginning to draw his chakra. He quickly made the requisite hand seals and began trying to mould the chakra to his hands properly...

* * *

Tsunade lay on the roof of the hospital, a small kettle of warm sake beside her, staring drunkenly up at the moon. _'Not drunk enough yet'_ she thought with a smirk as she held her hand up in front of her eyes and could still tell how many fingers she was holding up. She pushed herself upright, filling he small sake cup and downing the shot quicky. She giggled as the warm liquid filled her, the alcohol being absorbed into her bloodstream almost immediately leaving her feeling tingly. She checked her hand again, pleased to see she now had somewhere between 15-20 fingers on it.

"That's much better." She giggled out loud to no one. "Just a shame I have no one to help me finish this off..." she slurred a little louder then she intended.

"I'm sure I could be of some assistance, though I hope you didn't scare me to my wits end and drag me back from such an import mission just to trick me into getting drunk and playing strip poker again." a calm and somewhat amused voice chimed in above her. Looking up she was pleased to see a certain silver haired scarecrow, perched on the top of the high chainlink fence that surrounded the roof, his visible eye smiling down at her.

"Ka-KA-shi!" She hiccuped, offering him a drink. He dropped down beside her, squatting down to look her in the eye. She went cross-eyed as he leaned in close and she pushed him playfully back. "Now now...don't get fresh with me...I have something...very very very important to discuss with you young man." she slurred and giggled again, swaying a little.

The quiet man moved the sake out of her reach while taking her hand gently in his. She blushed like a school girl as he pushed up his hatiate, gazing deeply into her eyes with a slowly spinning sharingan. She calmed, the blush leaving her cheeks and a clarity returning to her soft eyes as he worked a mild genjutsu on her. After a moment, he pulled the covering back over his eye and ran a calloused hand along the side of her cheek. She blinked, suddenly surprised to see him squatting in front of her, her hand shooting up to rest over his.

"Kakashi? When the hell did you get back?" Her head pounded, and she felt oddly dizzy as she tried to figure out what they were doing on the roof, and why he was hold her hand. He chuckled at her.

"Long enough to catch you drinking your worries away again. You're still very drunk by the way. In a few minutes the genjutsu will wear off and you'll be blissfully intoxicated again. But I wanted to find out what exactly is going on." He watched her get her bearings again before he lifted her gaze to his with a long finger under her chin. "Where's Naruto? Is he alright?" He was surprised when she laughed at that, like it was a stupid question.

"The little idiot is fine, turns out we didn't need to worry about him. The rest of us are still in some deep shit however." Seeing the confused look on his face, Tsunade started from the beginning, leaving nothing out. He listened calmly while she explained everything, nodding quietly and not bothering to interrupt. When she came to the end she just looked at him expectantly. "Well?"

His eye closed, processing the influx of information he had just received. "I see."

"I see?" She stared at him incredulously. "After all that, the only thing you can manage to say is 'I see'?" Kakashi looked back, his eye smiling mischievously again.

"Well yes. This situation is going to take a little more time and thought to come up with a proper solution. That and in about 5 minutes your going to be highly amusing when the alcohol kicks in." he chuckled softly. "The only thing we can do now is proceed with the medical aspect for now, and get you to sleep. We'll worry about it all more in the morning."

The scarecrow helped her get to her feet and escorted her back to her residence, enjoying the blackmail material he gathered on her as the alcohol took over again.

* * *

Naruto was startled to find he had dozed off during his practicing. He was even more shocked at the addition to the room upon his awakening. Curled up on a third bed that had been moved into the room was his restless teammate. She was wearing none of the precautions that the other medical staff had at all times they were with them, and there was a slight sheen of sweat across her brow. He sat on the edge of her bed and gently ran his fingers through her hair, surprised when she stirred and gazed back up at him.

"Sakura-chan...what on earth are you doing in here? Where's your mask and that stupid getup you're supposed to be wearing?" He already knew the answer, but he was terrified to admit it to himself. She smiled sweetly, taking his hand and squeezing it.

"It's ok, Tsunade needed a test subject for the vaccine, so I volunteered." She watched as a wave of pain and anguish swept across his boyish face. "I'm ok, Naruto, just tired. It's the only way to make sure this cray plan is going to work. And besides, I get to be in here with you guys still, so what more could I ask for?" He squeezed her hand back, fighting back the emotions.

"But Sakura...what happens if this doesn't work? What if you end up like Hinata?" a tear slid down his cheek. "I can't stand the thought of losing both of you at once...you two...you're everything to me." She pulled herself upright, wrapping her arms around him tightly. It was so good to finally get to hug him without that damn outfit in the way. This whole thing had been hell on him, and he was on the verge of breaking down again. She pulled back, resting her forehead on his and running her thumbs over his whiskered cheeks.

"Hey, what happened to my favorite number one hyperactive ninja?" he sputtered out a laugh at that old title of his. "The Naruto I know wouldn't give up for anything, not even till the bitter end. And besides...if I'm in here testing the vaccine...what makes you think that we don't possibly have..."

"A cure?" cobalt eyes shot up to meet jade. They sparkled with that old hopeful gleam again. The both looked over at Hinata's bed, where he was surprised to see a new bag hanging from the rack, the line running down into the other network. It looked like it was filled with orange juice, and that Tama guy was over there adjusting it. "Hey!" he yelled at the busy medic. "How long has she been hooked up to that new stuff?"

"About 6 hours" he said, pointing to the clock. It was already after noon. "It seems to be helping to...her fever broke a short while ago." Naruto let out a whoop and squeezed Sakura tightly, planting an excited kiss on her forehead. She blushed for a moment before trying to calm him down.

"Why don't you go sit with her for a bit, Naruto. This stuff is wearing me out...I'd like to get some more sleep. Just wake me up if anything happens." He nodded, letting his friend lie down while he went over to his sweethearts side. Sakura watched him for a moment before she drifted off again.

Naruto took up his spot on the stool, holding Hinata's limp hand. He body felt much cooler already, and her breathing was easier. He kissed her hand fondly as he said a silent thank you to whoever was watching over her. Her chakra levels were frighteningly low though. He'd been practicing that technique all night, but he had no idea if he was doing it right, or if it would even work. She would never wake up if her levels stayed that low. He needed to think.

As he cleared his head and centered himself again, he remembered the conversation he'd had w/the nine tails. _'He had offered to help me...maybe he knows something I could do...'_ With that he reached down into himself like he had that other time, trying to stir up the demon. He was surprised at what happened next.

_**"It's about time you came to talk to me brat."**_

_'Hey, no need to get pissy, I can always come back...'_

_**'Naruto, you need to listen to me, we don't have any time...she needs you NOW'**_

_'What are you...'_

_-low growl- **'Listen carefully, her connection to her body is about to give out, she can't sustain herself any longer like this...if you don't help get her back in her body our mate is going to die.'**_

His mind raced, trying to figure out what exactly he was expected to do. The growl rubbed at the edge of his consciousness.

**_'Dammit boy don't just sit there..._**

_'Well there's something I was thinking of trying...but I...'_

_** 'don't say...show me"**_

Naruto thought on what he had planned to do, surprised at how the images came easily to mind. Kyubi grunted back.

**_'Maybe...but try it more like this'_** another set flashed, but these ones clearer and with more detail. Naruto was surprised that he remembered everything about them though they'd been shown to him so quickly. **_'Hurry boy, I can't hold her much longer.'_**

Naruto pulled himself out and quickly climbed onto the bed. He wrapped his legs around the sleeping Hyuga, placing his left hand flat on her breast bone pointing to her chin, his right hand along the side just under her left breast wrapping around the curve of her ribs. As he closed his eyes he reached out, finding the flickering thread of her chakra. Charging his hands he reached out to into the darkness to grab it...

_'Hinata...I'm here...just hold on'_

_

* * *

**so it took a little longer then promised but so worth it, ne? also to answer some of your questions this story is also listed on links are all in my profile**_

_**ja ne! **_


	16. Awakening

**_my deepest apologies for taking so long on this update. With the heatwave raging here I was really unable to focus. Let's just say that it's been btwn 95-100 degrees here during the day and staying around 90 all night long for a week now! And I don't have air conditioning in my house, so that's been the internal temp as well. Today was the first break! yay!_**

**_Anyways, now that Kyubi is done trying to roast me alive for the past cruelties toward Hinata (looks at chibi-kyubi who is holding up the cue cards and gryning). I'm sorry for making you all suffer, and i hope you enjoy this chapter._**

**_you guys are review animals! I hit the 300 mark on the last posting...and now you've got me up to 391! Granted most of it is begging for an update or not to kill Hinata...but still..._**

**_ya'll rawk me hardcore!_**

**_anyways, enough yaking, you wanna know what happens next._**

**_Please don't choke on my fluff. -giggles-_**

**_Teaser_**

* * *

As he closed his eyes he reached out, finding the flickering thread of her chakra. Charging his hands he reached out to into the darkness to grab it... 

_'Hinata...I'm here...just hold on'_

But the link was too fragile, to insubstantial at this point for him to hold. He followed it back to her coils, finding them almost depleted. With a gentle push, he began pouring his own chakra into her system, startled when it began to actively accept his energies. He relaxed letting it feed, focusing his attention to the tread and watching as it began to glow and strengthen.

He could feel a familiar warmth bubbling up inside him, rising to the surface. This was burning too much chakra, but he didn't dare stop now. He fought to hold the warmth back, to keep the energy he was pushing into her pure. _'Dammit Kyubi, I can't give her that...we don't know what it'll do to her'_ He had to get her back quickly, before he was left with no other choice. Continuing to feed her coils, he reached through them to the shining strand and tried to grab it...

She had just been ready to give in, to go gently into that night when her world seemed to suddenly jostle. Instead of the peaceful darkness she was expecting there was cold tingle running through her very being. She turned panicked to her companion, terrified to see him beginning to bristle and growl softly. He nudged her gently, urgently trying to push her away. She clung to him as she was griped by fear.

**_Little one, it's time...you have to hurry...it's time you leave me and go back.._**

_What's going on? What are you talking about? I don't want to leave you..._ her senses going numb from this cold that was rushing through her. It slowly made its way up, almost drowning her. There was a familiar fire growing in his eyes as he gave her a soft lick before pushing her away harder.

_**"You have to go now...he's calling you...go to him..."**_

_"Who is? What's wrong with..."_

And then she noticed it. A fluttering, like a gentle caress at the edge of her consciousness. It touched lightly, tentatively, as if to make sure it was safe. She could hear it as it reached for her, the name she'd almost forgotten. _'_**Hinata...I'm here...'**

An angry snarl erupted behind her. As she turned she was suddenly confronted with a nightmare. Burning eyes hovered over fiercely bared teeth. Long claws furrowed into the ground sharply, and nine fiery tails whipped behind him. She screamed as the creature suddenly lunged for her...

----------------

She was woken up by Tama's frightened outburst, but was terrified by the intensity of the waves of chakra emanating from Naruto. Sakura watched frozen as he sat there, straddling Hinata's legs, his arms glowing as he forced the energy into her weak body. His head was back, face raised to the ceiling with closed eyes and sweat beading on his brow. The glow slowly began to change from a glaring blue mixing to a deep purple, flaring red briefly from time to time. Her focus was broken by a frantic scream, and she turned in time to see Tama running towards them.

"NO! Don't touch him!" she screamed, throwing herself at the frantic medic. They collided onto the floor as she held him back.

"We have to stop him! He's going to KILL HER if we don't stop him!" Tama yelled, trying to free himself from her.

"If you stop him now you'll kill both of them." she yelled back, shaking him hard. He stopped fighting her, and together they sat there watching in horror.

------------

Kakashi and Tsunade were on their way to the hospital from the tower, having spent all morning arguing over the best course of action. Her hangover finally starting to wear off, she was regretting letting the copy-nin talk her into taking him to visit Naruto...he'd been nothing but a headache to her all morning.

"I know your attached, Tsunade, I'm just saying it might be the best plan all around." He calmly pointed out to her.

"Not that crazy idea again. And I am not attached!" She scowled back, her headache returning full force. "I just don't understand what you think that is going to accomplish!"

"Three things: time, experience, and information." he stated matter of factly, his eye smiling down at her above his mask. She glared at him again, not wanting to admit that maybe he was right.

"But Kakashi you have to think reasonably...who the hell could I spare for such a thing? We're stretched frighteningly thin as it is..." she was cut off before she could get any further, startled by the sudden oppressive force. Both shinobi stood in awe at the sensation of a massive release of chakra coming from the hospital. And not just any chakra.

"I thought you said everything was improving in there." Kakashi stated slowly, trying to hide the shock in his voice.

"It had been..." was all she managed to reply. They looked suddenly to each other before taking off at full speed, to scared to think of what could have caused such a thing to happen.

----------

He had pushed her free and she was now left surrounded by the darkness again. As she watched him fade away she could hear him call to her softly one last time.

**_"You must hurry...don't worry...I'll be watching you...Little one"_**

Panic and confusion were setting in. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. Heartbroken by her sudden abandonment she cried out.

_"Please...don't leave me! I don't know what to do!"_

**"I have no intention of doing such a thing...just reach out for me Hinata...I'm right here"**

She startled at the voice, surprised at how close it sounded. The fear vanished immediately as she turned, trying to find it's source.

_"Na...Naruto? Is that...that really you?"_

**"It's me, beautiful...don't you dare give up on me now"** He thrilled silently to himself when she said his name, his determination fired. He reached for her again, pouring more energy into it. **"Come on, Hinata...I can't hold this forever... come back to me."**

She knew that voice, she longed for that warmth and comfort that came with it, to be free of this unending darkness and the confusion. But she couldn't find him anywhere in it. Then she felt it again, this time more of a nudge.

_"Naruto..."_ She turned and threw herself at it, reaching back as she felt the grip tighten, pulling her back towards the light. It exploded around her in a flash of searing white and burning agony. Pain tore through her as she fought the squeezing suffocation until...

Tsunade and Kakashi had rushed through the quarantine unit. They made it past Kiba and Neji without any protest; the one having blinded himself by attempting to use his Byakagun to see what was causing this massive outpouring (a temporary effect similar to staring directly at the sun after coming out of the dark), the other watching helplessly as he writhed on the floor in pain, and were now standing in awed silence watching the scene play out through the observation window with the rest of the medical staff in the ward.

Naruto was completely enveloped in red chakra, his hands glowing purple where the two conflicting energies mixed before pouring in the body below him, with what almost appeared to be a tail flicking behind him. Hinata's body had begun to glow as well, giving off a faint blue aura. The part that truly disturbed the two was the fact that her coil system had begun to glow as well, the swirls clearly visible to the naked eye as the two chakra raced through them. Sakura and Tama were on floor, clinging to each other in horror, unable to flee and not knowing what to do. Kakashi had just made up his mind to race in and pull them out, virus be damned, when it happened.

Hinata arched below him with a jolt, letting out a strangled cry. Naruto jerked his hands off and nearly collapsed, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He leaned forward, holding himself up on quivering arms as he caressed her cheek softly. She had stopped breathing, but he knew she was in there somewhere.

"Come on, Hinata...don't you dare give up on me..." he whispered roughly between his own breaths, the glow fading around him slowly. She lay there, peaceful and lifeless. "Fight dammit...please..." his chin trembling as he tried not to fall apart, his hand moving to shake her shoulder gently. Still no response. "Dammit, Hinata...BREATH!" he screamed the last word inches from her face as he desperately thumped her chest with a weak fist. She suddenly gasped, letting air rush into her. He closed his eyes as tears dripped down onto her cheek while she coughed and sputtered below him. Her eyes fluttered open, blinking at the brightness they let in. Naruto smiled as the world started to spin around him.

"I knew you could do it" he whispered as his strength gave out and the world went black.

* * *

His eyes were assaulted by the hard florescent lights, rousing that now familiar headache. _'Ah, another morning in lock down...another chance to curse the designer of these damn lights.'_ His body felt like lead and his mouth seemed full of cotton. "Damn hospital" he muttered to himself as he tried to wake his salivary glands up to wet the dried sponge in his mouth that used to be his tongue.

"So, you've decided to return to the world of the living." a voice he hadn't heard in months teased gently from the side. Naruto bolted upright to confirm the owner.

"Kakashi-sensei! What the hell are you doing in here!" He gawked at his old teacher, who grinned back at him with a merry eye above that old familiar mask.

"Well I was waiting for you to wake up, but seeing as how you're up now I guess I'm talking to you." he quipped back, always one to happily take the role of Capt. Obvious.

"But...but what about the quarantine?" The headache was throbbing steadily now and the juonin was not helping it any.

"What quarantine? You've been out of the unit for 4 days now. In fact the other two are out as well by now. I must say I was quite surprised to hear you'd succumbed to Chakra Depletion...I didn't think that was physically possible for you." Kakashi stated as he reached over to ruffle the blonde hair fondly. "By the way, Tsunade has been wanting to pummel you for whatever the hell that stunt was you pulled on us...but I'm sure she'll forget about it when she see's you're alright. What was that anyways?" Naruto shoved his hand away playfully, trying to remember what had happened.

"I...I can't remember...it was something Kyubi told me to do..." The throbbing was making it hard to remember, something about flooding her with chakra so she wouldn't die... _'Hinata!'_ His eyes shot up as he remembered.

"Hinata! Where is she? Is she ok?" He started to get out of the bed but was gently pushed back in by his sensei.

"Hinata is fine. She's severely weakened by her ordeal but she should make a full recovery. She's resting down the hall in her room." Naruto let out a sign and lay back on the pillows again. Kakashi eyed him curiously for a moment. "What's this about 'Kyubi told me to do it'? You mean he talks to you now?" The boy nodded slowly. The eyebrow raised up under the hitai-ate "What exactly does he tell you?" Naruto sighed, trying to figure out how to answer that one without sounding like he was going crazy.

"It's only been a few times. He thinks I'm weak and pitiful, tells me he could make me strong if I listened to him and let him help me more." He turned to see the concern showing in the watching eye. "It's not like that...he's not telling me to be violent or evil...he...he actually seemed concerned Hinata would die, so he showed me how to help her."

Kakashi thought about this for a moment. Shukaku had pushed Gaara to the brink of madness, now Kyubi was offering to help Naruto? Was it possible the demon nine tails that had nearly eradicated the village had, 15 years later, decided to help protect it? This could be trouble, or it could be something big. When they had first pulled Naruto out of the room after he collapsed the first thing the masked nin had done was to check that the seal was still intact. So far as he could tell it was fine, but then again this wasn't your normal seal. He would have to mention this to Jiraya when he returned. Realizing Naruto was getting anxious he smiled at him.

"Well then, I trust that if he starts acting up you'll come to me or Tsunade for help. You know we're here for you." He rose from his seat and smiled down at the sheepishly grinning blonde. "I have to go tell them you're up. You've got some visitors who have been anxious to see you."

Naruto sighed as he sat himself up, smoothing the sheets out and looking around for that damn water pitcher they always had sitting around in hospital rooms. His mouth was still bone dry and he was really starting to get thirsty. Besides, there were only two people he wanted to see right now. Luckily, one of them was coming through his door carrying a large fruit basket.

"It's about time you woke up! You scared the hell outta me!" she said as she placed the basket down and came over to nearly shove him out of the bed. He laughed and shoved his pink haired friend back gently.

"Oh come on, Sakura-chan! I was faking it the whole time! And you call yourself a medical professional." He watched as she faked a laugh, but he could see the worry in her pretty green eyes. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her in for a hug, surprised at how easily she wrapped herself up in his arms. She sniffled softly, as if she were on the verge of tears, and a wave of guilt washed over him.

"Don't you ever do that again." she said softly, her voice shaky. He could feel her hands tembling as her fingers fisted into the back of his shirt. "You don't know how scary that was...to see you like that, pouring all your energy into her...what were you thinking? Where the hell did that come from?" Tears were streaming down her face now, dropping down to soak his shoulder. "And then when you just collapsed...I thought..I thought you were...dammit Naruto you're all I've got left!" She buried her face in his chest now, clinging to him as she cried. He held her tightly till she calmed, trying to think of what to say to his dearest friend that wouldn't push her away.

"I'm sorry, Sakura" he soothed to her, running his fingers through her soft hair. "I promise I won't do anything stupid like that again. I wish..." he sighed. He really did. "I wish that I could tell you what happened...but I can't explain it. Maybe someday I'll be able to answer you're questions. But for now, all I can do is apologize and promise not to scare you like that again." She had stilled in his arms, sniffling every so often.

"Idiot" she said softly, poking him in a ticklish spot. He chuckled and poked her back.

"You wouldn't have me any other way."

She laughed softly and pushed his hand away. "Maybe...but you're still an idiot."

* * *

Hinata lay in her hospital bed, dozing quietly between visitors. Much to everyones chagrin she didn't remember much of what had happened to her since she had returned from that fateful mission. She remembered being put into the lock down unit, but much after that was a blur. The last few days was a total blank to her, though she'd heard some interesting stories from the others about what supposedly happened. She was really to tired to care though. Her body ached and felt heavy to her, and she had a strange feeling of loss, like someone dear had been torn away from her. And while she appreciated the attention she was getting, she couldn't understand what all the fuss over her was.

Even her father seemed to be acting weird. He had shown up earlier and chased Kiba and Shino out of the room, stating they needed to have a serious discussion. She wished she could remember more of it, but she kept drifting off to sleep and back again while he ranted on and on. Hinata had some feeling there was some kind of apology in there, or had she been the one apologizing? Something about change...or she needed to change? It was frustrating her trying to sort it out. She just wanted to sleep.

The one thing she did remember was being told Naruto had somehow been hurt trying to save her. Apparently it was pretty badly too, judging from what she managed to pick up from the conversations held around her. There were times when they must have assumed she was sleeping and went on about how he'd nearly killed himself over her. And now he was unconscious in some other room and she was still unable to go see him.

_'Oh Naruto-kun...why did you have to do such a thing over me? I don't deserve that kind of sacrifice.'_ she thought to herself, making up her mind to try and get better as soon as possible so she could go visit him.

But for now she was enjoying the peace and solitude of the room. There had been way to much fuss over her, someone always in the room poking this or adjusting that. She was glad to have a moment alone. The room was filled with flowers, though her favorite was sitting right next to her pillow on the night stand. The gardenia Kiba had brought her filling the room with it's sweet perfume and making her drowsy. Someone had opened the window and left the curtains drawn, letting the warm sunlight wash over her. For being stuck in a hospital it was actually quite pleasant. _'I just wish Naruto was here to enjoy it too'_ she thought to herself as she drifted back off to sleep.

* * *

Naruto was feeling better already. After Sakura had left and and the others had come and gone, he'd gotten a stern talking to from Granny-Tsunade. She told him if he ever pulled a stunt like that again and managed to survive she would kill him, then gave him the bag of ramen she had been hiding outside. Now, after having eaten and gotten a hot shower, he was slowly making his way down the hall. He couldn't believe how exhausted he was by the time he made it to her door.

_'Damn Kyubi, I hope you're alright in there. I promise never to take you for granted again."_ he huffed to himself as he leaned on the wall railing, trying to catch his breath. Tsunade had told him to stay in his room and rest, he could go see her tomorrow after he'd recuperated some more. But he couldn't wait any longer, so he'd snuck down here on his own. Now after he'd caught his breath, he turned to go into her room.

He was breathless again a minute later. It was already late in the evening, and the colors of the setting sun played gently across her sleeping form. Flowers were set on every available surface, filling the room with their heady aromas. It was like some kind of dream. He would have thought her dead if not for the steady rise and fall of her chest. He made his way slowly across the room to sit on the edge of her bed. Though there was more color to her skin, she was marked from her ordeal. Bandages were wrapped around her wrists where the tubes and needles had been, covering most of the bruises, though some discoloration showed creeping up her forearms. The delicate skin on her face still showed red marks from where her mask and tubes had rubbed. He gently lifted her hand to his lips and placed several gentle kisses on her cool fingers and palm, grining as she sighed softly, the corners of her mouth lifting to a quiet smile. Looking quickly over his shoulder to make sure no one was coming, he leaned down, cupping her chin in his other hand and lightly brushed his lips against hers.

Pale opaline eyes fluttered open, blinking up into deep cobalt. It took her a moment to realize who it was hovering over her, a playful smile gracing a whisker kissed face. Her heart swelled as relief flooded her, her hands shaking as they rose up to touch the vision before her.

"Naruto...you're alright..." her already soft voice barely above a whisper. He nodded as he kissed her outstretched hands, reaching back to brush the stray hairs off her forehead.

"Of course I am. How are you doing, sweetness?" he said softly, gazing down into those milky pools he'd missed for so long.

"I'm better, now that you're here." Hinata pulled him gently down to her, and he went without protest. Naruto pulled his legs up onto the bed, snuggling her from on top of the covers. It wasn't long till they were both asleep, content to be back in each others arms.

-------------------------

_**NO I'M NOT DONE YET! There's still another chapter or three left in this old story yet. Stay tuned! And thanks as always for your support!**_


	17. Reunion

**_Yay! I know you're all proud of me for getting this up here so quickly. _**

**_  
-chibi-kyubi rolls his eyes at her as he marches across the backround with several large bamboo polls slung over his shoulder-_**

**_  
And yes, there be smut in this here chappie, as well as some drinking but nothing out of hand._**

**_I'm rather pleased with this one, not as fluffy as the last one, not as dirty as I had originally planned, pretty good length. A good chap me thinks, right kyu...uh...Kyubi? What's with the polls? -chibi-kyubi glares at her for a moment before angrily writing her a a note and handing it over smugly. Teaser reads it and looks back him- NOT THOSE KIND OF POLLS DOBE! THE VOTING KIND!_**

**_-chibi-kyubi ignites the bamboo polls and storms off, grumbling to himself about how is he supposed to know-_**

**_Anyways, I need your help! I have two very important Polls for you to vote in on my lj! (link in my profile, head on over and vote!) _**

**_I need you to vote on #1, which scene I ask Madame Mere -waves madly and tosses cookies to her- to make a comic of. and the second one -looks around- is for the next story. I need help picking a male half for another couple that's gonna be in the story. What's the catch? You can't know who the female half is. -gryns- The only thing I can tell you is the title will be "Into the Desert" and all four of the males will definately be in it...but depending on your votes will make a big difference in the way the story plays out._**

**_Please help me out! Vote early and often! Get your friends to vote! Hell talk your family into helping to!_**

**_Anways...on to the smut!_**

**_Teaser _**

* * *

It was a beautiful spring day when Naruto finally got released from the hospital. Tsunade had laughed at him as he ran circles and turned somersaults once outside the doors before he went laughing across town towards home. By this time it had been nearly 4 full weeks since he had been back there, and he dreaded the idea of what was now living in his refrigerator...not to mention his laundry pile. At this thought he slowed down, deciding to enjoy being outside again. _'It waited this long already, what could a few more hours hurt.'_

He took the long way home, stopping past all his favorite places on the way. At Ichiraiku's he was pulled inside by a beaming owner and his pretty daughter and treated to a free bowl of miso pork ramen. They rambled on about how they had been worried for him, and all the food that had been sent over had been on the house, with hopes of speeding him towards recovery. Hearing this he felt guilty of taking advantage of their kindness and insisted on paying for his second and third helping. He passed Kakashi-sensei at the book stand, picking up the latest copy in the Icha Icha series. Naruto paused as he made his way past the academy. Iruka-sensei was having shuriken practice outside, the standard medics on standby as the group of 7 and 8 year olds proceeded to do more damage to themselves then the targets. The three members of his fan club actually seemed to be doing a decent job. Konohamaru spotted him and started waving madly, Udon and Moegi turning and joining him. Iruka had started to yell at them for losing their focus when he noticed who it was who had distracted them, and instead decided to join in the waving. The blonde laughed, flashing them his standard grin and victory salute before heading on his way. The trio saluted back, Iruka just shaking his head with a chuckle before ordering them back to their practice. It was life as usual in the peaceful village hidden among the leaves, and it was a beautiful thing to the Naruto. He paused for a moment walking down the busy main street as a terrible thought crossed his mind.

_'What if we hadn't been so lucky? What if we had brought back that virus and infected everyone? How many of these people would be lying in the hospital right now...'_ A group of small children ran past, nearly knocking him over as they continued on their game. _'How many of them would be dead already?'_ He reached up without thinking and held his necklace for a moment, rubbing the pendant between his thumb and forefinger before shoving that thought aside and continuing on his walk.

It was late in the afternoon when he reached his last stop before heading home. He hated going there, at least he told himself he did, but for some reason he was drawn back. It was the same thing everytime, and he didn't know why he kept doing this to himself. But no matter what he kept going. As he stepped out of the trees in into the clearing, three training posts stood like sentinels, and just beyond them the large black stone. He paused about 25 yards away, staring as the memories flooded back to him along with the same bitter taste in his mouth and the stabbing pain in his chest.

Naruto didn't know how long he had stood there before the arms wrapped around him from behind. He threaded his fingers with those of the slim, soft hands and pulled them tighter around him. A small chin rested on his shoulder as the breeze picked up the scent of her shampoo. He leaned his head over and nuzzled her gently for a moment.

"Why is it, out of everything I've done, out of all the people I've helped...why couldn't I have saved him too?" his voice was choked with emotion. As many times as they had come here together since his failed mission, neither of them had ever dared break the silence of this, their sacred spot. She squeezed him tightly, continuing to stare ahead of them at the posts.

"He never wanted to be the one being saved." she replied quietly. "He wanted to be the strong one, he wanted to be the avenger...but I think...somewhere deep inside...he felt the same way we do."

They stood there together, surrounded by birdsong and the rustling trees before Sakura released him from her arms, tugging him gently back towards the village. As they broke through the tree line she absentmindedly wiped at her cheeks.

"We'd better hurry up and get you ready, they'll be worried if we're late." she said matter-of-factly to herself.

"Who's they? What are you talking about?" he stated, puzzled over her statement. The pink haired girl at his side giggled and pushed him playfully.

"You're friend's idiot...tonight's the last night we're all off together, they've all gotten their dose of vaccine and are starting back on missions in the morning. And since you and Hinata are finally out of the hospital it was decided maybe a get together was in order." She watched with a smirk as it sunk in and he smiled widely from ear to ear.

"That," he said, "is the best idea I've heard in a long time."

She left him at his apartment, heading off to get herself ready. As Naruto walked through the door, he stopped to make sure he was at the right place. The whole apartment was impeccably clean, his pile of dirty laundy gone, his closet and drawers full. The fridge was stocked with edible food, the garbage can empty, and the pile of dirty dishes apparently already washed and put away. Even the bathroom appeared to have gotten a good scrubbing. As he stumbled dumbfounded around the place he eventually found the note taped to the cupboard where he kept his ramen.

_Naruto,  
I'm sorry I couldn't get away to visit you while you were in the hospital.  
You know what a handful these academy students can be, especially your three.  
When I heard how bad off you were, I figured you'd appreciate this more then  
some stupid fruit basket anyways. I'm glad you're home again, and I'm proud  
of what you've done for the village. Get some rest, and don't do anything stupid._

_Iruka_

_PS - please don't trash the place all at once, I don't think I have the guts to clean  
it again...at least not any time soon._

He laughed, deciding to leave the note taped there, for a little while anyways. As he went to get changed he thought how lucky he was to have such great people who cared for him.

* * *

The schedule for the vaccinations was Medical Staff, Hospital patients, ANBU, Jonin, Chunin, Genin, Academy Students and Civilians. Since they had received their shots a few days before, Kiba's mother and sister we already out trying to help clear up the backlog of missions. This meant that the dog boy had the Inuzuka residence, and it's liquor cabinet, to himself and his friends for the evening. Everyone else was already there by the time Naruto and his teammate showed up, but no one seemed to mind them being a little late. Ino and Tenten were already in the kitchen working on dinner, with Shikamaru trying to keep Choji from eating everything before they could cook it. Kiba and Lee were arguing about drinks, the green clad one spouting off how he'd rather be"drunk on the springtime of his youth" while the other grumbled he would need more alcohol to put up with this crap all night. Sakura excused herself to go help out in the kitchen while he made his way to the back porch, looking for the others. Hinata had been banished from cooking, being told she needed more rest and with Choji and his guard there were already to many people in the kitchen. The usually quiet Hyuga had been rather insistent on doing something, so she was now parked comfortably on the porch swing happily peeling vegetables. Her cousin, Neji was sitting be her feet, propped against the wall, watching her closely and warning her to be careful not to cut herself. Shino was acting as a runner, carrying bowls of food back and forth between her and the cooks. Naruto couldn't help himself and laughed at the scean.

_'Damn it's good to have everyone together again...well...almost everyone..'_

"Naurto-kun!" Hinata chirped, being the first to notice him there. She moved aside a bowl of unpeeled potatoes and pointed at a vacant seat. "Come sit with us!" The blonde couldn't help but comply with that order, and made his way over. He took the bowl of potatoes from her and looked around for another peeler to help.

"Take hers, please" Neji said, "She's making me nervous, I've never seen you peel a vegetable in your life." he said in a teasing tone to his cousin. She surprised him by sticking out her tongue at him, but handed over the peeler as well.

"Neji-niisan has been nothing but stick in the mud since I got out...I'm telling you I'm fine." She folded her arms indignantly at him for a moment before she grabbed the one bowl and rose to head inside. "In fact, I'm going to go see if there is anything else I can do." Naruto chuckled again at the shocked looks on the other two's faces as she walked through the door. Until they turned to him.

"Naruto...just what on earth happened in that hospital? She's been...odd ever since she came home." the pale eyed man questioned him suddenly.

"Yes...it's a most interesting phenomenon." Shino chimed in, raising an eyebrow. The blonde stopped peeling for a moment and looked back and forth between the two.

"What do you mean...odd?" he asked, suddenly wondering if he'd done something suspicious.

"Well...for one thing, I haven't heard her stutter once since she came out of quarantine..." Neji offered.

"Nor has she been seen to fidget..." added Shino.

"She looks people in the eye..."

"She's stopped wearing her jacket..."

At which point she returned with a tray of drinks and a frown, forcing the two to stop pointing out their observations. Naruto noticed for the first time that she had indeed forgotten that bulky jacket of hers and was wearing a light blue wrap around shirt that accentuated her figure and even showed off a little cleavage. Neji smirked at him as he accidentally cut himself in his distraction, sticking the injured finger in his mouth till the bleeding stopped. Hinata handed out the drinks and then parked herself back on the cushions with a sulk. Akamaru , who had followed her out, jumped gleefully into her lap and snuggled up after giving her a friendly lick.

"They chased me out again...why won't anyone believe me when I say I feel fine." she asked as she scratched the mutt fondly behind the ears.

"Awww...let'em fuss." the whiskered boy announced as he finished the potatoes, drawing her attention. "Milk it for all it's worth. They'll stop when they get sick of it, just make sure you get something good out of it while you can." He winked at her as their eyes met before he stood to head inside. She smiled and blushed at him, shaking her head slightly. Shino and Neji looked at each other. At least Naruto still made her blush.

Dinner had turned out splendidly, even with Choji filching food. Afterwards they had moved outside with a few drinks and gotten into animated story telling sessions about hysterical mishaps on various missions. As the sake was passed (though Neji and Tenten made sure the bottle mysteriously missed Lee every time around), Kiba and Ino tried to pry the truth out of Naruto and Sakura as to just what happened in that hospital, only getting a smug "If I tell you, I have to kill you" from the prankster king. Eventually, in various stages of inebriation, they separated between the girls and the guys. Sakura, Tenten, Hinata and Ino went and huddled under the giant oak tree in the yard, talking about kami know's what. They'd lean in close to each other, then suddenly turn and look at the guys staring back at them before erupting into a fit of hysterical giggles. The guys would then look at each other before shaking their heads, not understanding what was so funny.

"They're even more troublesome when they're drunk." Shikamaru stated, lying back to watch the stars.

Somewhere around 10:30, Neji stood and walked over to collect Tenten. A collective moan was heard from the females, but the small brunette complied. She hugged and kissed the others before getting up and wrapping her arm around the Hyuga prodigy. The other three followed behind as they headed back towards the others and the house.

"Tenten and I are turning in for the night. We'll have to be up early for our first mission." Kiba had just been about to sneak Lee some sake when he jumped up suddenly.

"You're right Neji-san! I too should go home and rest up! My youthful fists can't wait to be put back to use!" Lee bounced around happily at the thought of getting back to work. Some of the others also started muttering that they should head home and get some sleep. Kiba sulked and jumped up suddenly.

"Wait! You can't go yet! We should have a toast!" He grinned and ran back into the house for more sake.

"I thought you're supposed to have the toast before dinner, not at the end." Choji stated, somewhat confused.

"He's still hoping to get Naruto drunk so he'll spill the story." Shino stated quietly, rubbing his head at the thought of the hangover his teammate was going to have in the morning.

"I am not!" Kiba yelled as he made his way back out, a fresh bottle in one hand and a glass of ice tea for Lee in the other. "I just think we ought ta do something...special...while the 11 of us are all together for once." He was right, they hadn't really spent any time all together since the chunin exams...and who knew when the next time they would have this chance again. They all filled their cups one last time and gathered in a circle, looking to Kiba to do the honors.

"I offer this toast to the three who made tonight possible for us. To Naruto, for being the only bastard I know who can not only talk the Hokage into giving him a vacation, but also every other fucking ninja in the damn village! How the hell you do it, I'll never know! But next time, see if you can talk her into paying us for it while yer at it, would ya?" Naruto grinned wickedly, throwing his fist in the air victoriously as the others laughed and cheered.

"To Hinata! For going along with said bastard even though it nearly killed her! What on earth you were thinking, we'll never know, but damn if you're not the bravest one among us girl!" She gave a silly giggle, hiding behind her hand as her entire face turned bright red as she nearly spilled her drink. The other kunoichi cheered ecstatically for her.

"And to Sakura, who not only volunteered to be locked up with the blonde nutcase and his partner in crime, but looked damn sexy in that medical get up while she was at it!" Green eyes went wide in shock at the last part, her jaw near on the ground as Kiba gave her a teasing wink and a smirk. Cat calls went flying as Lee threatened the dog boy to stay away from his delicate blossom.

"To our friendship!" Kiba called joyfully

"To our teammates" Shino added with a small smile

"To family" Neji stated, raising his cup towards Hinata, who smiled back softly

"To Love" Tenten chimed, poking Neji

"To Lust!" Ino tossed in, getting a 'hell yeah' from the girls and surprised looks from the guys

"To YOUTH!" Lee threw in, assuming his good guy pose

"To trouble" Shikamaru muttered, shaking his head at the fuzzy brow and the blonde chick next to him

"To Food!" Choji offered, getting a laugh from the others.

"To our dreams!" Naruto beamed, raising his glass high

"To the past" Sakura mused, a sadness to her voice suddenly

"To our future" Hinata added hopefully

And with that they raised their glasses and drank. They stood and chatted for a while longer before starting to break into little groups to wander home. Lee and Shino offered to stay and help clean up the dishes. Hinata had wandered over by Neji while Tenten said her goodbyes. The young man glanced nonchalantly at the starts, acting as if he hadn't noticed her.

"Hinata I'm going to be escorting Tenten home." he stated calmly, before turning to look at her. "Perhaps you should see if someone else would be able to take you, since I'll be heading in the opposite direction." She looked at him, surprised. He smiled softly at her, indicating with a nod she should look over her shoulder. Turning she saw Naruto and Choji having an argument over ramen. Turning back to her cousin, he only shrugged and continued to smile quietly. Hinata's face lit up, and before he could react she jumped forward and squeezed him in a big hug. After a moment he hugged her back, unable to remember the last time she had embraced him.

"Thank you, niisan" she stated softly.

"Don't be out to long. You may be on medical leave for a while longer, but you still need plenty of rest." He watched her for a moment longer as she ran off to say her goodbyes. Tenten came over and put her arm around him.

"Isn't she coming with?" she asked.

"I simply suggested that since you live the other way, she might want to ask someone else...for example a certain annoying blonde we know."

A puzzled look crossed her face till she saw the smile in his eyes. "You teme! You knew all along didn't you?" she hissed quietly at him, jabbing him in the ribs.

"Actually I didn't know anything, but now I think I might get to." Neji smirked at her as she turned bright red. "I've told you before, I don't like secrets."

* * *

Naruto strolled leisurely through the starlight, enjoying the warm breeze and the companion smiling brightly at his side. They had behaved themselves till they got a little distance from the others, at which point Hinata couldn't take it anymore and attached herself to his arm. He was relieved to see that the effects of her illness appeared only temporary, her face filling back out and though her limbs still graceful and willowy she no longer had that emaciated look. The moonlight made her skin seem to glow and indigo highlights in her hair shine...

"Naruto...are you alright?"

He snapped out of his daydream, realizing she had caught him staring at her and zoning out. Her soft eyes gazed up at him, her cheeks flushing slightly, he couldn't help it any longer.

He kissed her.

His lips met hers softly, sweetly pressing together. She let go of his arm and moved closer, letting him draw her in. His hand moved up to her cheek as he turned his head slightly to gain better purchase on her mouth, she followed his lead. The kiss deepened, lips parting, tongues playing lightly amidst the bitter taste of the sake they'd been drinking. Hands gripping cloth, pulling each other, clinging, pressing their bodies together as if they could merge into one until the burning need for air forced them to pause and breath. Hinata nuzzled against his neck, resting her head on his shoulder as she ran her hands along his powerful chest.

"Take me home, Naruto."

He felt a twinge of disappointment at her request. He had hoped for some time to show her how much he missed her, to make good on that promise in the woods.

"Alright, if that's what you want.."

She looked up to meet his gaze, confused by the pain in his response. Realizing what he misunderstood, she smiled and rubbed her nose against his.

"No silly...I mean...take me home...with you."

He couldn't remember how they got there, or how they had done it so quickly, but before he knew it they went from kissing by the stream to kissing in his living room. Her shirt had been untied and unwrapped, revealing the delicate lace bra beneath. Her skin was as soft as he remembered, the perfume of her hair just as intoxicating, and the taste of her lips just as sweet. He fought his urge to pull her down here, to ravage her on the living room floor. But he had made a promise.

Naruto reached down and scooped her up suddenly, a startled laugh escaping her swollen lips as he swept her feet out from under her and whisked her away to the bedroom. He set her down gently on top of the covers, smiling down at her as she blushed back at him.

"I promised you I would do it right this time, and I fully intend to make good on that."

A mischievous fire sparkled in her eyes, a delicate finger caressed his jaw.

"Everything you've ever done to me has been right."

He planted a tender kiss on the notch of her collar bone, causing a soft moan to escape her.

"Then I hope this time will be perfect."

He proceeded to worship her like a goddess, his mouth trailing nips and teasing licks down from her earlobe to her supple breasts. Finding the clasp in the front, he freed her from the lacy prison, running his calloused fingers teasingly over her skin. He traced them lightly from her neck to her nipple, watching as goose bumps followed and she shivered beneath his touch. He made mental note of every moan, every twitch with silent amusement before he leaned down to run his tongue over the pert buds rising off her chest. Fingers found hair as her hands came up to cradle his head, unable to decide if they should pull him down closer or push him away. He decided for her, quickly taking it into his mouth and suckling her gently. Her body writhed beneath him as he switched sides, lavishing his mouth on her other breast while teasing the previous with his free hand. Naruto brought his knee up between her legs, startled when she eagerly ground herself against him. He sucked hard and pulled lightly on her nipple, letting it release with a pop and a groan before rising up to meet her hungry mouth again.

"Seems like you might be too wound up for me to have all my fun tonight." he teased gently, watching that furious blush rise in those cheeks.

"I'm sorry...I can't help it..." he silenced her with his lips.

"Don't apologize, I'll just have to compromise" he grinned at her as he pushed himself up on his knees, pulling his shirt off. Hinata sat up and took his own nipple in her mouth, causing him to growl softly. He let her play for a moment, but when she reached to undo his pants he gently removed her and pressed her back down on the bed. As he removed his leg and began to relieve her of her own pants, he smiled seeing how ready she already was, her lacy panties already saturated from her excitement. She giggled up at him as he tossed her now empty pants carelessly over his shoulder, then reached to do the same with the lace he'd found beneath. As the panties went sailing away, she placed a small foot on his shoulder, biting her lower lip and doing her best to look coy. Naruto leaned his head down and kissed her ankle before giving it a teasing nibble, watching her eyes roll back in her head. He smirked, undoing his own pants.

"I was going to go easy on you...but now you've done it..." her eyes grew wide as he said this "Now I'm just gonna have to make you squeal."

Before she could react he had both her legs in the air and his mouth was on her sex, his warm tongue swirling firmly over her sensative nub before sliding down to probe her opening. She moaned before she could stop herself, electricity shoot up and warming her deep within her belly. Another gasp escaped as his fingers took the place inside her where that flexible pink muscle had been and began to probe deeper still, reaching inside for that spot he'd found that first time while his lips found her button again.

_'he's right...I am worked up...I won't be able to take much more..._ her thoughts erased as her core exploded, his long fingers finding that spot deep inside and rubbing it. Her body quivered as he unleashed her inhibitions, causing her to cry out for him. Before the spasms of her ecstacy could die his fingers left and were quickly replaced as he drew her legs around him and buried himself inside her, stroking gently to ease her down slowly. She pulled him down to her mouth, his face damp and covered with her own tangy fluids but she held him there, his weight pressing her deep into the soft mattress as she rolled her hips back against him.

Naruto was surprised at how different she acted this time, no sign of any pain, just pleasure at what he did to her. He could feel her tensing around him again, that pleading look in her eyes just before she gives in and overflows, and he knew he wasn't far off either. He drew himself close, burying his face in ner neck as she came again, harder this time, his name heaved from her body as she fought for air. Her thin fingers found their way up, dragging over his neck and up to tug on his hair again. As the fingers fisted and pulled gently he arched back, delving as far as he could go and releasing himself to her.

An hour later they were still tangled up in his bed, Naruto spooning behind her, their legs folded, fingers entwined. They had dozed off but she was awake now, and arguing with herself what to do. She wanted to stay, to sleep there with him instead of back in her own lonely bed. But she knew if she didn't come back there would be trouble, and with Neji knowing who had taken her home, it wouldn't be long before her father showed up and found them here like this. In a way that would solve everything, but she didn't dare want to cause trouble for Naruto.

He seemed to have other ideas. Every time she had tried to slip out of his arms his grip would tighten, leaving her trapped. She had tried to wake him, to tell him she needed to leave, but he slept like the dead. She couldn't blame him. His bed was old but in a comfy, broken in way. And the moonlight was shining in through his open window, a warm breeze blowing in. And she hadn't gotten to nap nearly long enough today. As she shifted her weight, he squeezed her again, kissing her tenderly in his sleep and muttering about how he wouldn't let anything happen to her again. Hinata sighed and closed her eyes.

_'A small nap wouldn't hurt, as long as I sneak back in before Neji leaves for his mission'_


	18. Revelations

**_Ok, the document manager is giving me hell today..._**

**_in case you haven't guess...that wasn't the last chapter! HA! _**

**_hopefully this is going to work right, otherwise I will have to come back and do an edit later, but I really wanted to get this up here._**

**_My humble thanks to all my fans - 500 reviews! I could kiss you all, but I don't think I have enough chapstick for that. Special thanks to _**Broken-Hopes **_for giving me the big 5-0-0 (I've been trying to keep track of my hundreds, but sometimes I get to many at once to keep tabs on who you all are.)_**

ciasensei - **_no! don't you dare give up writing just because you feel your work doesn't measure up to mine! I'm thrilled that this is insipiring to you, let it continue to be! But don't ever stop just because you feel your not good enough! Cripes you sound like Hinata! Haven't you been paying attention to the series? -lol- Look at the stuff other people have submitted. Some of it is fluff and blather, but some of it is brilliant! Just because you don't like it doesn't mean someone else won't. Write your story and share it with the world - criticism (good and bad) will be your greatest assest to becoming a great writer._**

Marine Brother Shran **_- hooray for passion! How could I not write a Naru-Hina and not have it filled with passion? Naruto alone demands it, our favorite blonde ball of emotions. And Hinata has shown time and again that she too has a heart that can burn true and strong. Put them together, and it's perfection_**

**_Bruce - I hope you find this chap amusing...I know people are gonna hate me for it -evil gryn-_**

**_Icenight009 - no but he's gonna! -teehee_**

Eternal Lord Itachi _**- why thank you my Lord, I'm so pleased that you are enjoying this romp through the woods :)**_

Cyberchao X**_ - i don't mind the needling, in fact I need it! once this thing is complete I plan to go through and repost with the errors corrected. if you'd care to help me I would muchly appreciate it :)_**

Songbird21 _**- there is more then one way to nuzzle. They're 15 years old in this fic, and teenagers/young adults these days are very affectionate when it comes to their close friends. I've got two chapters left to this story, lets just get along till the end.**_

TheLon3Wolf8986 **_- yes! the series will continue to be Naru-Hina based...don't worry your little nogging. Just adding some extra spice with another pair in the sequel_**

Clone Daniel**_ - thank you for the comment on the training ground! I for one agree with you, though others are apparently offended by it_**

MadnessLover **_- whatwhat? a twist you say? Hmmm... that would so be in character for me wouldn't it? well lets see then shall we? -evil gryn-_**

**_Keep voting in my poll! I have an ipoll posted now, everyone can vote, and you can vote once every 12 hours (twice a day kiddies!) Right now Gaara is in the lead but Kiba isn't far behind him. Jamm the box silly my pets! This poll will be open till the first chapter of the sequel is up, so you have plenty of time._**

**_Also, find me on myspace now, thanks to a recomendation from tricky. you know my name :)_**

**_Ok...enough of this...lets see if this thing will behave now. Some of you are gonna hate me for this one -teehee-  
_**

**_Teaser _**

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****

Hinata woke up again, still snuggled up in his arms. Naruto was dreaming about something, nuzzling the back of her neck, the tickle of his breath driving her crazy. It was apparently an interesting dream as every now and again he'd grind himself against her backside gently. _'Maybe I'll do him a favor and help this dream become reality'_ she thought mischievously to herself, attempting to roll over in his arms to face him. As she turned toward him though, a shuffling noise in the corner caught her attention, causing her to freeze and grip his arm tightly in panic.

Naruto's eyes shot open at that, wide awake and catching the look of fear in her own. Without hardly moving, he squeezed her reassuringly with his right arm, while the left hand reached just over the edge of the bed to the kunai holder he kept pressed between the mattress and the wall. Reading his eyes, she indicated with her own the corner over his shoulder where the intruder was hiding, preparing herself to get out of his way quickly. His eyes rolled slowly that way as he picked up the chakra signature, snapping back to her and blinking once in acknowledgment. He gently tapped a countdown on her arm . . . one . . . two . . . three . . .

Hinata pushed herself up off his left arm and back into the far corner, pulling the sheets up over herself as Naruto launched himself across the room with a feral yell. There was a struggle in the shadows and a muffled yell of protest. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see what happened, fearing in her heart it was Neji that her lover was now wrestling with, or worse-her father-shattering all hopes of her happiness. But then the sounds of fighting stopped and were replaced by arguing between the blonde and a voice she didn't recognize. The lights went on and she peeked her eyes open spotting none other then . . .

"Jiraya-sama!" she squealed, pulling the sheets higher up and pressing herself further into the corner, her entire body turning a deep crimson at the thought that he'd seen her naked . . . or partially naked . . . well she wasn't sure what he'd seen but she still didn't enjoy the thought of it at all. The old sannin gave her a sheepish grin while rubbing his head, causing Naruto to slap him.

"Turn around you old pervert and show some respect for her!" the blonde growled at the frog hermit, never minding the fact that he himself was totally nude. Jiraya turned, apologizing profusely, but still unable to hide the grin on his face while the boy grabbed a T-shirt and shorts for his frightened girlfriend to put on. After the pair was once again clothed, he turned back to his sensei with an angry glare. "All right, Ero-sennin . . . explain yourself! What the hell are you doing sneaking in my bedroom in the middle of the night?"

As he turned back he couldn't help but smile at the site of the couple in front of him. Naruto standing protectively in front of her, his face red with a mix of embarrassment and anger, and Hinata nothing more then a pair of terrified eyes peeking around him, one arm wrapped around his chest to keep him close to her. He chuckled inwardly to himself. _'well Brat, it's about damn time you opened your eyes to her. I wonder if I can use this in my new book . . . '_

"Well, to tell the truth I wouldn't have been sneaking into your bedroom in the middle of the night if you hadn't scared the hell out of me." he replied with a smirk. They looked at him like he was crazy for a moment, causing Jiraya to chuckle. "Apparently you had your mind on . . . other things . . . when you came home last night. I had gotten this message," he produced the letter from Tsunade, "stating that your life was in danger and I needed to return immediately. As I arrived back in the village, I decided to swing by to check on you, finding that door," pointing down the hall to the front door that was hanging ajar, "hanging open and the lights out. I was afraid you had been attacked in your sleep and dragged out of here, so I came in to investigate before alerting ANBU." Hinata let out a gasp and looked like she was gonna pass out. Naruto had relaxed at this point and put his arm around her, figuring there was no need to hide since they had been caught. Jiraya chuckled again. "I didn't call them yet . . . in fact I'm surprised none of the patrols noticed it before I did . . . I'll have to speak to the captain about that. Either way, I had no idea I was going to find you two in here . . . and I'm terribly sorry." _'terribly sorry I didn't get here earlier for the good stuff.'_

The two looked at each other for a moment before turning back to him. "All right . . . I suppose it is partially my fault . . . " Naruto admitted sheepishly. "But I swear if I hear rumors going around . . . we'll know where they came from!" he said as he shot him another angry glare.

"Please . . . " Hinata piped in shyly, "We haven't told anyone about . . . well . . . if. . . if you could keep this quiet . . . " The old hermit noticed the fear in her eyes, and thinking back on who her family was realized why they were so upset. He let out a sigh and put up a hand in resignation.

"Hai, hai . . . your secret will be safe with me. But . . . unless your family thinks you're staying with someone else I suggest you'd better hurry home. The sun will be up within the next hour." She turned horrified toward the window and looked quickly back to her love.

"Go ahead, don't worry about it just get home." Naruto squeezed her tightly for a moment, planting a kiss on her forehead before watching her rush out the door in his clothes without stopping to put her sandals on. Jiraya smirked to himself and turned to the blonde who was starting to turn a little pale, still staring at the doorway.

"Think she'll make it back before they notice?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly.

"Those people can see through the backs of their heads . . . they've probably already noticed." the old man mused.

"Think she'll come up with a good excuse?"

"Not one they're likely to buy."

"How much longer do you think I have?"

"If you're lucky you can hide from the lynch mob till around till lunchtime . . . "

They looked at each other for a moment.

"Good to see you're staying on your toes though."

"Yeah well...you never know when some pervert is going to show up in your room in the middle of the night..."

They grinned.

"Breakfast? A dying man deserves a last meal."

"Sounds good to me."

**_------------------------------------------------_**

Hinata flew across the village toward her families estate, channeling quick bursts of chakra through her feet to propel herself further and faster across the rooftops. _'Why do we have to live on completely opposite sides of town?'_ she groaned inwardly, never having noticed exactly how much distance there was between their two residences. She shook her head, realizing if wouldn't be so far if her family wasn't so prominent, and wished for the ump-teenth time in her life that she could have been born into a normal family. Finally she reached the sprawling complex and made her way quietly around to the back of the property where she could sneak in undetected, and quickly went over the perimeter wall. 

Once inside the protected grounds she made her way through the trees a bit till she collapsed at the foot of one. Exhausted and gasping for air, she leaned back with her eyes closed as she tried to catch her breath and still her racing heart. The excitement of the previous days homecoming, the party with her friends, and of course, the actives with Naruto finally catching up to her.

"Maybe...maybe I should have listened to Neji-niisan and the others more." she lamented, starting to feel a little dizzy. Tsunade had warned her father not to push her or over exert her for the next week or two. Being out of commission for a month had really messed her up, and it seemed that mad dash across Konoha had been the last straw. Looking up at the dawning sky, she contemplated how she was going to pull off getting back inside without setting off anyones suspicions.

Neji would be up by now, as well as anyone else in the family who had missions to leave on today. Maybe she could slip in as if she had just gone for a stroll in the garden and join him at breakfast. No, he'd know these weren't her clothes and figure it out...damn genius cousin. Many of the women, and some of the older men, meet at sunrise for calisthenics by the larger pond. She had often times joined them, so if she showed up they wouldn't think anything of it. And if they shooed her back inside saying she needed more rest, well she'd have a perfect excuse to go to her room and to bed. She yawned, thinking that was the best idea. Now she just needed to wait for them to get started. Hinata sat there against the tree, her eyes closed to the rising sun, not realizing she was slowly losing herself to her exhaustion, and she would never make it to the pond.

Neji was all set to leave for his mission, with some time to spare. He had originally planned to wake Hinata and have her join him for breakfast, but decided to let her sleep in. Tenten and him had had a little talk on the walk home about the blossoming relationship between Naruto and his cousin, and he still wasn't sure what he thought of it. At first he'd been a little angry to find out there was a possibility there had already been some fooling around going on between them, till Tenten pointed out that Hinata was a fairly modest girl and she wouldn't just jump blindly into bed with anyone. And they certainly hadn't been acting like there was anything like that going on the whole of last evening - no sneaking kisses or groping each other when no one was looking, no trying to sneak off for a few minets alone together. He hadn't even caught them holding hands at any point. In fact the only thing he had noticed (other then the fact that they could now both acknowledge and speak coherently to each other) was slight blushing whenever they would make eye contact. After a night to think about it, he had to admit that maybe this would be good for his timid cousin. She had pined for Uzimaki for so long, it was about time to see if this was a silly crush or something more. And she had already seemed much more sure of herself last night. Still, he felt it was his duty not just as one sworn to protect her at all costs, but as her "Neji-niisan" to sit down with her and give her some, well...brotherly advice. And of course, he had a "friendly" warning for Naruto as well, but that could wait till his return.

He stood outside her room and knocked on the door frame. When he received no answer, he knocked louder, figuring she was still asleep. "Hinata? Are you awake?" Still no answer. Neji slowly slid open the door. "Hinata, I was..." but he stopped as he looked inside. The room was empty. The bed was made. He stood there in shock, trying to figure out where she could be. The first thing that popped into his head wasn't a good thing. He remembered the two of them walking off together, but he couldn't picture her being so stupid as to not come home. Naruto, on the other hand... his fist clenched at the thought. He would definitely be having a a talk with Naruto.

"Is there something wrong, Neji?" The young man stiffened at the voice behind him. He turned, spotting the family head standing a few doors down with a concerned look on his face. Realizing it didn't look good to be standing there staring into Hinata's open bedroom like this, Neji bowed low.

"No, Hiashi-samma. I was just hoping to say goodbye to Hinata before I left for my mission, but she appears to already be up." The elder came over and looked into her room as well.

"Odd, with as tired as shes been I would have thought she'd be resting still." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "And you didn't see her at breakfast or on the way here?"

"No Sir."

Hiashi contemplated this a bit longer before nodding toward the boy. "All right, you go ahead and focus on your mission. I'll worry about locating Hinata." Neji growled inwardly to himself, knowing he'll get hell for allowing this to happen, but he couldn't keep silent.

"Hiashi-samma, I.."

"I said don't worry anymore about it, Neji. Go take care of your mission. Besides, she's probably just out in the garden enjoying the morning." And with that, he turned to go look for her. The younger man watched him before turning to get his things and leave. _'Hinata...I hope for both our sakes you're somewhere in the compound.'_ He was seriously going to have a talk with her when he got back.

A while later, Hiashi had enlisted the help of Hanabi and a few other members to check the estate. Her shoes were missing from their cubby in the entrance hall, confirming his suspicion she was outside somewhere, but after checking most of the grounds and still not finding her they were beginning to get panicked. Due to privacy respects there was a house rule restricting use of Byakagun on the premise outside of training, which was slowing things down considerably. After an hour of searching, and no reports of anyone having seen her since the previous evening, concerns were rising that something had happened to their heir. After two, there was talk of alerting the Hokage. Aside from missions, which she was relieved of, Hinata almost never left the compound without informing someone, and certainly she never slipped out before sunrise. Not to mention all her friends and teammates were back to work again, so there wasn't any reason for her to leave at this point. A decision was reached: they would check everywhere one last time before getting the authorities involved.

Hanabi was getting irritated by all this. Just when she thought they were finally going to stop fussing over her drama queen of an older sister and let life get back to normal (aka- them complaining about her drama queen of an older sister), Hinata goes AWOL on them. _'Damn you Hinata...I have better things to be doing right now that gallivanting through the property playing hide and seek with you and the rest of the clan.'_ The 10 year old kunoichi in training was due at the academy any minite for class, and she groaned at the thought of the reaming Iruka-sensei would give her when she finally arrived...whenever that would be. She just didn't understand what all the commotion was about.

The youngest daughter of Hiashi hadn't been born at the time of the attempted kidnaping of Hinata, and no one had ever told her of the incident. Since her birth she had been guarded and sheltered, and pushed through the most rigorous of training. She never knew fear or pain, because nothing had ever happened to her here within the protected walls of the Hyuga clan. Even in her years at the academy now, nothing they'd shown her yet seemed that bad. She never understood what her sister was so terrified off all the time, always hiding and stuttering like a fool.

The young girl kicked a rock off the path and into the bushes, scaring a rabbit out of them. She laughed quietly as she watched it run off across the path and leapt over something white sticking out from behind a tree... _'Wait a second...what is that over there?'_ She was quite a ways from the house, in one of the wooded corners of the property. The perimeter wall was visible running parallel to the path she was on, but she new the next section came up just a few meters father. Hardly anyone other then the gardeners came back in this corner, and even then it was just to do their work and then leave. She slowed down as she looked at the funny shape obscured by the shade of the surrounding foliage.

_'That's funny...'_ she thought to herself, _'It almost looks like it's got toes.'_ As she made her way closer she was startled to realize...they were toes. Her breath caught at the site of the dirty underside of two small feet attached to slim, pale bared legs. As she stared at those legs, Hanabi suddenly realized how very quiet it was in this corner of the property, the birds no longer singing, no crickets or other insects making any sound. Shaking that thought from her head, she bent down a grabbed another stone from the walkway. _'She's probably messing with my head.'_ she thought to herself as she threw it at the limbs before her, yelling out.

"Ok Hinata! I found you! Come out and face father..." but her voice trailed off as the rock hit it's mark and got no response. Not even a twitch of a single, white toe. "Hinata?" she called again, taking another step closer, an odd, cold feeling creeping slowly over her. "All right thats enough now knock it off." She growled as she stormed forward, clearly not amused by this. "If you think you're going to get any sympathy for this, Hyuga Hinata, you've got..." Hanabi had reached the tree and had bent down to grab the offending feet but stopped when her hands met the cold, clammy skin. Her eyes traveled slowly up the legs, the rest of the body was slumped oddly against the trunk and roots. Bruised arms lay limp on the wet grass, but what scared her most was the fact that from the angle she was looking at it, the head seemed to tilt back unnaturally. Without anything further she turned and ran as fast as she could, faster then she ever had, back down the path towards the house, screaming for her father as soon as she broke the tree line, thinking for the first time in her life that maybe her sister had it right to be afraid.

Hanabi had been near hysterical when she got back to the others. She just kept pointing off toward the oak grove, muttering about under a tree by the wall before deteriorating into sobs. She was left with some of the aunts while the elder men went to see what had the girl so rattled. They had all froze in place when they spotted the legs poking out, afraid of what they'd find on the other side, till finally Hiashi went forward. He couldn't believe his relief upon discovering that, while she was unconscious, she hadn't been raped and murdered as they'd all been starting to fear. In a scene reminiscent of years gone by, her father scooped her limp form up into his arms and carried her carefully back to the house.

Hinata was given a quick once over to determine she hadn't been attacked and tucked back into her bed. Now the adults were arguing about if she should be taken to the hospital for further evaluation and wondering how the hell she got out without anyone noticing her, and just what was she doing back in the far corner of the property anyways. Hiashi sat quietly, watching her and ignoring the bickering going on in the hallway. He could swear some of them lived purely to annoy the others with these whining arguments. After a while Hinata finally stirred from her sleep, causing her father to rise from his chair and move closer to the bed. The others ceased crowded around the doorway to see what she would have to say.

As her eyes opened she was confused at what she saw around her. Especially when she saw her father hovering over her. As he leaned down to her she let out a small squeak of fear. _'Oh no...he must know...Neji must have said something...'_ Hinata shut her eyes tightly, waiting for the explosion of outrage for her actions. Instead she was surprised by a hand gently pressing the hair away from her face. She peeked back up at him, surprised by the calm look he had.

"Are you alright." he asked gently, without a sign of anger irritation in his voice. In fact, his normal harshness seemed gone completely. She realized her muscles were tensed, braced as if she had expected an assault. Willing herself to relax while fighting her confusion she realized he was waiting for an answer from her.

"Y-yes...father...I'm alright." He continued to look at her, as if not sure to believe her. "I-I'm fine...just tired. Did something...happen?" She spotted the others and her mind went into a panic. She realized she was still wearing Naruto's clothes. _'They must suspect something if they don't already know...oh what am I gonna tell them?'_ Her hands started shaking on the blankets, and she fought to keep them from betraying the fear she had of her family at this moment.

Hiashi could see how upset she was getting, more so then she usually did when talking to him. "It was discovered you were missing this morning, the entire clan has been worried for your well-being. Hanabi finally found you laying in the grove, I must say you gave her quite a scare-she was convinced you were murdered." He watched her reaction, the way her eyes drifted downward with guilt at the last part before they came back up to watch him again. He was surprised that she was able to look him head on, normally she kept her eyes averted. "Hinata...what were you doing out there before sunrise?"

_'Oh god...this is it isn't it? He knows and he's looking for a confession, and I'm going to have to tell them all..alone...aren't I?'_

She had hoped to have more time to come up with some kind of acceptable presentation of Naruto, something that might keep him from being to angry with her. And she had always thought either he or perhaps Neji would be there to back her up...she never thought she'd have to face him alone. Tears welled up in her soft grey eyes as a sob got stuck in her throat. She pushed herself upright, grabbing his hand and pressing the back of it against her forehead as she began to cry and beg.

"Gomen...Gomen nasai, Father...please...I didn't mean to shame you..." Tears poured down her face as she pleaded with him. "I should have listened to Neji-niisan and the others...I thought I could keep it secret...that I could get back before you found out... but it was too far and I'm too weak... I pushed too hard and used to much chakra and... and now you all know..." Her shoulders shaking, her breath in ragged gasps. She hated herself for how pathetic she was at that moment, but she was terrified of what they would do to her. "Please Father...please forgive my transgressions."

Hiashis' head was spinning trying to process the information blurted out of the distraught girl in front of him. She was folded over in front of him, clinging to his arm. Between the sobs and the fact she was almost pressing her face into the mattress he could barely make out what she was saying. _'What is this? Shame me? Too Weak? Chakra? Wait...don't tell me she...'_

"Hinata...you mean to say you snuck out in the middle of the night, after a month in the hospital...to train?" But she just stayed there, sobbing and begging repeatedly for his forgiveness. He looked back at the others who stood there, mostly dumbfounded, although a few of the women shot him accusatory looks as if to say 'see what you've done to her.' Hiashi pulled his hand free and reached for her shoulders...

Hinata hadn't heard his question, she was too lost in her own self-loathing. When he withdrew his hand from her grasp and she felt his hands on her arms she cringed, expecting to be thrown from the room, or slapped, or some other sign of disgrace. The last thing in the world she expected was for him to pull her up and embrace her. She sputtered in shock and disbelief, trying to choke back the tears and comprehend what was happening.

"No, I'm the one who needs forgiven. I'm the one who's pushed you into such self-destructive behavior, out there in the night in your condition..." he let out a sigh. Now Hinata was really lost as to what he was going on about.

"Anou...Father...you don't..." but her shushed her before she could correct him. She had no idea what he thought she was doing out there, and she hated lying to him, but then again she it wasn't really lying if she didn't say anything...was it? She decided to bite her tongue for now and see what happened later.

"You're right you should have listened to Neji-san. He's looking out for your best interests. I want you to stay here an rest for the remainder of the day. I just got you back from the dead... I don't want to go through that again." It was awkward for him to hold her like this, she'd been so much smaller the last time he had. The feeling of guilt washed over him again as he patted her on the head and pulled himself away. "We'll talk more later. For now, sleep."

With that he stood, chased the family away from her doorway and left her alone in her room. As she slumped back down among the pillows she could feel her head beginning to throb from the effort of trying to sort out what in the world just happened.

**_-------------------------------------------_**

Breakfast had actually been rather pleasant. Naruto and Jiraya did quite a bit of catching up, as well as taunting each other. Afterwards it was decided that it might not be a bad idea to get the blonde away from the "crime scene" so the old sannin brought him with to see Tsunade and find out just what the hell was going on. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but Naruto hadn't figured on being banned to the hallway for two hours. It was true Naruto had calmed down a bit over the last few years...but his patience still had limits.

"If I'd known they'd do this to me I'd have rather stayed home to face the Hyugas." he muttered to himself from his spot by the door.

"And why would you need to worry about facing them?" came a curious, yet bored voice from beside him. Naruto looked up suddenly to see Kakashi there, leaning against the wall with his book out.

"No reason." The blonde grinned up at him. "Just making a statement. Can't a guy make a death wish without being interrogated for it?"

"I suppose...but I would think you'd want to hang around here a bit longer. I'm sure it'll be worth your while." The jonin put the book away, stepped around his former student and knocked on the door to the office. A muffled voice told him to enter. As he opened the door, Kakashi looked back down again. "Well? Are you coming?" Naruto blinked up at him for a moment before jumping to his feet and happily following him inside.

He wasn't prepared for the grim faces he found inside. Tsunade was sitting behind her desk in her normal thoughtful pose, her hands folded in front of her face with a worried look. Jiraya was leaning on one of the bookcases, also seeming somewhat troubled. Kakashi walked over to his usual corner, leaning against the wall and looking bored. Naruto looked around, noticing a single chair sitting vacant in the middle of the room. The Hokage gestured to it, so the boy went and sat down. She smiled at him fondly for a moment.

"I hope you're feeling better, Naruto. We've got a lot of things to discuss." He didn't like the tone to her voice, or that look on her face. He knew she was old enough to be his grandmother, but at that moment she looked older still. He nodded quietly, suddenly wishing he wasn't going to be privy to this meeting. "You know firsthand about that virus you picked up in the wave country, and it's devastating effects. What you don't know..." she sighed, "is that this isn't a normal virus. Do you remember when Akamaru was infected by those foreign ninjas, and we nearly had to terminate him to save the village?"

Naruto looked up at that, a sick realization slowly sinking in. "You called it a...biological weapon?" She nodded slowly. That kind of thing isn't something you forget. "You're saying...that this was the same thing?"

"Not the exact same thing. A different virus meant for the human population, but the idea behind it is the same thing." She could already see the dread on his face, his hand slowly clenching into a fist. "Enemy shinobi infiltrated the other village, and then proceeded to infect them, as well as you and Hinata on purpose. I'm sure I don't have to tell you who is behind such an insidious plan as this."

A low growl escaped him at that thought, that Hinata had been attacked like that. "Orochimaru." She nodded again.

"Thanks to you, this particular virus is no longer a threat to our village. We're working on enough vaccine to protect not only the people here in the fire nation, but also our allies. However, if he had this virus ready for deployment..."

"What others has he been working on in those labs of his." Naruto finished. He was getting angrier by the moment. "But why are you telling me all this? What does it have to do with me? Isn't this something for ANBU to worry about?" A short laugh from his left pulled his attention from the lady behind the desk.

"That's definitely true, however...there's more to this that does actually concern you." Jiraya moved out from the side and came to sit on the desk in front of his young student. "You know I've been away keeping tabs on the Atkatsuki." He received a nod in response. "And you also know that Itatchi and the others have been trying to collect the various demons from their vessels, such as you and Gaara." Another nod. "Well, they've managed to succeed in capturing two of the nine, and they're getting ready to turn their attention back to Kyubi and Shukaku again now that they've got their confidence built up."

Naruto stiffened at this, he'd hoped he'd have more time before they came back. He'd at least hoped to have Sauske back and not have to worry about the snake in the grass anymore. He'd remembered what a mess it had been the last time Itatchi and Kisame had been in the area. "Why do I have a feeling you guys already have a plan?"

Tsunade sighed again. "With Orochimaru getting bolder with his moves on Konoha, we can't afford to have Itatchi taking advantage of the situation and getting his hands on Kybui. You're not strong enough yet to face him alone, and we're stretched to thin to properly deal with both threats at the same time. So yes..we've come up with a plan for you."

"You're going to get to go on a special...training mission." Kakashi spoke up finally, having moved to stand behind Naruto, placing a hand on his shoulder.

_**-------------------------**_  
**_ See, you all know where I'm going with this right? Don't hate me too much. and remember, Teasingkyubi is open for all your bitching needs :)_**


	19. Orders

**_Ok all, you've been good lil fan boys and girls, and I've finally fussed with this till I can't fuss anymore. I was so not happy with ending this thing that I couldn't like anything I was writing. So I got ultra picky and redid the last two chapters several times. (that's right, last two... i have officially finished this story -sob-) Chapter 20 will be up in a day or two, after you guys get to read this one and hate me for it sufficiently._**

**_I did send this to my new beta, but alas I haven't gotten it back, and I can't stand not posting anylonger. I picked this one over several times so it should be alright, but if there are small errors, I will post the cleaned up version when I get it._**

**_One note I did want to make. To those of you who felt the need to point out my character mistakes, I would just like to say this. I do read the manga, and I have seen all the current fansubs. I have not made anymistakes in regards to my character depictions in this story. Why is that? Because this is MY story. Yes in the manga Gaara no longer has Shukaku and Akamaru is a giant beast and they're not 15 till after the time skip, but that's that manga. In my story Gaara still has Shukaku, Akamaru is still a cute lil thing, they're 15 now and ya know what, I haven't done the time skip. Why? Because if I made this just like the manga, then #1-that would be plagerism, and #2, what would be the point?_**

**_It's like telling Foxie-sama that Hinata can't be in the Chuunin exam finals (story - For the Love of My Friends), or Delauney that Naruto can't grow up in an asylum (story - Threshold), or Legilmyth that Sasuke can't be married to an ex-sound nin and have a whole pile of lil Uchiha's running around (story - After the Pain). I'm sorry but I found it slightly insulting to be told (by more then one person) that i made mistakes when I didn't, I made these choices willingly and knowingly. My character portrayals are not wrong just because I strayed from the actual manga story._**

**_I may not own these characters, but I do own this story that is my own intellectual property. That is why this is a FANFICTION._**

**_I do readily admit my spelling errors though. And for those I'm sorry. :)_**

**_Thank you though for taking the time to read and review. It is all appreciated, and even those who commented about my mistakes were still supportive about my writing. I did notice that and am grateful you still liked it._**

**_Oh! And Happy Birthday to _**kagehusha

**_Ok, enough of my babeling. On with the story. :)_**

**_Teaser_**

**_------------------------------------------------------------------------ _**

Sakura had gotten lucky today and was getting off of work early for a change. It was just a little before 4:30, so she decided to swing by and see if she could persuade Naruto into buying her dinner and finally getting to have that little "chat" with him she'd been meaning to since his return almost a month ago. Especially after getting some of the dirt off of Hinata last night at the party. _'Poor Hinata-chan,' _she giggled to herself, _'we were pretty demanding of her last night when she started to spill her guts about what happened. But she seemed to enjoy being the center of our gossip circle for a change, and we didn't push her too hard.' _Sakura actually had to stop walking to try and keep from exploding in laughter when she pictured the two of them in the woods thinking the other had "forgotten" anything had happened between them. _'You really are such an idiot sometimes, Naruto' _she told herself as she arrived at his apartment.

After discovering the place unoccupied at this current place in time, she began checking his usual haunts, getting more and more concerned as, time and again, she found them devoid of the obnoxious blonde. Ready to give up, she spotted that orange jacket hanging over the rail of the old bridge, and could see the top of his spiky head. She grinned and waved as she called out to him.

"Oi! There you are, Naruto! I thought I'd..." but she stopped as she finally got a good look at him. He was sitting on the planks, his legs dangling down just above the water, chin resting on hands that were propped on the middle beam of the railing. His face was pained, stray tears sliding slowly down whiskered cheeks to drip slowly down into the small canal below. He lifted his eyes to her at his name, and the look of anguish in them ripped at her heart. Sakura hurried to his side and collapsed to her knees, grabbing him gently by the shoulders.

"Naruto? Naruto what on earth is the matter? You look like someone died?" He turned to her slowly, not even bothering to wipe his face dry or pretend like she hadn't caught him crying. Naruto looked her straight in the eye for a minute, tears welling up till he pulled her close and sobbed quietly on her shoulder. She had seen him cry before...hell almost everyone in the village has seen that. Naruto had never been one to be embarrassed about his emotional outbursts, so Sakura just held him close and stroked his hair till is started to calm down. She had a sneaking suspicion that this had something to do with Hinata's family, and it would be best for her to let him get it out of his system before she tried to get anything rational out of or into him. Finally he seemed to get control of himself again, hiccuping softly from all the air he swallowed while choking back tears. "Better now?" she soothed, as he lifted himself off of her and began wiping at his face.

"For now..." he said meekly. "Thanks."

"Wanna tell me what's got my favorite ball of sunshine all depressed?" she asked softly, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze. "If you need someone killed, you know I got connections." She smiled lightly at her tease, trying to coax one from him as well.

"We've been trying, but don't seem to be getting anywhere with that..." was his vague reply. Naruto looked up to see the confusion in those bright green eyes and sighed. "Sakura-chan, I do have a favor to ask you though."

She smiled again, "Sure hon! Ask and you shall receive. Heck, I might even agree to go out on a date with you...maybe." Sakura winked at him on the last part, getting him to chuckle softly at her for a second before giving back over to that sad look again.

"Sakura-chan...I...I need you to help me pack." His face was so gravely serious on this that she was taken aback, the smile sliding slowly from her lips.

"Ok...but where are you going? Do you have a mission? I thought you were going to be kept nearby for a little while longer?" He'd never asked her such a thing before. I mean, this was Naruto... he lived for missions! He was a well trained shinobi, albeit an airheaded shinobi, but when it came to getting ready for one he always made sure he had enough equipment and supplies. It took them a while to explain to him he needed more along the lines of provisions then just cup ramen, but that was his only real problem. What's up that he suddenly needs her help?

" It's...complicated..." he started, looking down at his hands. "I'm not allowed to say much...it's for...training..." The boy sniffled loudly again, tears starting to well in his watery eyes again.

"Alright..." she replied slowly, the joints in her hands starting to ache as the dread seeped into her body. He was starting to scare her, but she couldn't stop herself from asking her next question. "How long are you going to be gone for?" The pain in those stormy blue eyes griped her, squeezing her chest and making it hard to breath.

"I don't know," came the reply, a large tear sliding down his cheek. They stared at each other for a moment, Naruto watching the myriad of emotions playing across her face while Sakura waited for him to burst into laughter and taunt her over how well he tricked her. She blinked dumbly at him for a moment, trying to understand what he was trying to say.

"Wh...what do you mean you don't know? They don't just shove people out of the village on missions saying "Alright, off ya go! Ya'll come back now, ya hear!" They usually have some idea of a time frame...they must have told you something...right?" Panic welled up within her. _'They couldn't be doing this...this isn't happening...it's got to be some kind of joke, right? Please don't leave me, Naruto...'_

He sighed as another tear slid down his face. "I really don't know, it's not up to me. Could be a few months...could be a few years.."

"A FEW YEARS!" She interrupted, grabbing the front of his shirt and shaking him. He flinched lightly but made no effort to stop her from her rant. "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! THAT'S INSANE! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE FOR A FEW YEARS! What about our Chuunin exam? What about your friends? What about Hinata? What about..." she stopped shaking him, her lower lip trembling, eyes pleading. "What about me? You can't just leave me here alone...I need you..." She was cut off as she found herself being wrapped up in a warm set of arms and pulled against his strong chest.

"I know," he soothed, rubbing her back gently. "Just when things were starting to look up, ne?" He could feel the dampness starting to spread across his shirt. Naruto couldn't hear her, but he knew she was starting to cry and he bit his lip as he tried to hold back his own tears. "We're supposed to leave tomorrow just before sunrise. I really need your help tonight...I have no idea what I'm gonna need...and I need to find some way to get a message to Hinata...I don't think her family is going to let her come see me off, and she has no idea yet."

Sakura looked up, wiping her eyes gently. "You mean...you haven't told her yet?" He shook his head. "Well...who have you told?"

"No one but you...I'm not really supposed to tell anyone but..." he chuckled softly and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "I couldn't just go and disappear on my two favorite girls like that."

"You're such an idiot." Sakura said trying not to blush as she pushed herself upright and away from him, sniffling quietly but smiling to herself. _'Saying such a thing...I have to get away from you before I do something we're going to regret.' _Her stomach suddenly grumbled loudly, and she remembered why she had been looking for him in the first place. _'Perfect timing.' _she thought gratefully to herself as she clapped her hands across her belly and blushed. They both burst out laughing when his growled back in reply a second later.

"Come on, Sakura-chan...lets go get some dinner. We can figure out how to get a hold of Hinata and you can help me pack up. You...are going to come help me, right?" He gave her a hopeful look, one that told her he didn't want to be alone... he was afraid to be alone tonight. She nodded slowly with a wry grin.

"I'll help, but only on one condition..." she giggled at the confused look he gave her in response. "Just what did you do that the Hyugas won't let you see Hinata?" Naruto stammered, his cheeks flushing a deep crimson causing her to explode in laughter. "Oh? That good huh? Well then I suppose we'll have dinner at your place so you can tell me all about it in excruciating detail."

"I don't think you want that much detail..." he muttered, grabbing his jacket as they got up to leave.

Sakura grinned mischievously back at him. "Just try me."

----------------

Neji was not in a good mood as he made his way back through the village gates. As far as he was concerned, his mission had been a complete waste of his time and considerable skills. He was just glad it had only been a few villages over, and that he was back in time to deal with more important matters like...trying to decided what to do with Naruto's body after he skinned him alive. Alright...maybe he wouldn't skin him alive, but he definitely was going to put the fear of God, or at least the Hyuga clan in that thick, blonde skull of his.

Neji paused at the crossroads, trying decide what to do first. He should probably go home and see Hinata first, press her into telling him what on earth happened, and risk facing Hiashi's wrath for not doing his duty to keep an eye on her. But at the same time he was sorely in need of a punching bag. And Naruto was the type that would probably not only give him the best chance to pound out his frustration, but wouldn't mind a quick spar as well. He took after Lee that way - make him go to long without fighting or training and he goes nuts. In the end, he decided to go see Naruto first. Neji was just too worked up to deal with his family, and hounding the younger boy proved far to amusing to pass up at this time.

It was just after sunset as he approached the apartment, and the pale young man was pleased to see the lights on inside. Now that he was here, he wasn't quite so angry with his friend. In fact he could almost sympathize with him. And knowing Hinata she had probably just fallen asleep innocently enough. _'You had been starting to think maybe this was a good thing for her last night... and Naruto is honest almost to a fault... I'll just scare him good, make sure he knows he has to play by the rules if this is going to continue._'As the door got closer and he began to make up his mind, the sound of female laughter drifted out from an open window. Neji paused for a moment to take in the conversation.

"Oh my god...you can't be serious!" That sounded like Sakura, and whatever she's just been told still had her giggling hysterically. He almost wondered if they were drinking in there, as she was hardly ever this giddy over anything.

"Dead serious, I was ready to kill the old pervert. And I've never seen Hinata turn such a shade before...I mean head to toe...it was amazing she remained conscious!" Naruto's talking about Hinata? Now his curiosity was definitely peaked.

"Well then what happened?" Sakura goaded him. _'Yes...what happened next, Naruto'_ Neji asked to himself silently on the porch.

"I threatened him not to tell anyone, then he pointed out what time it was and Hinata panicked and ran out the door without her stuff." The familiar voice said with a chuckle, admitting the absurdity of the whole situation.

"Wait, you mean she just ran out of here...NAKED!" She squealed with laughter. Neji's jaw tightened, his fist clenching slowly causing his knuckles to crack. _'Hinata was here...naked last night? Forget scaring him... I'm going to annihilate him.'_ Naruto was laughing to.

"No no! She wasn't naked! At that point I had given her something of mine to wear..." the Hyuga relaxed a little at that. "But I still haven't figured out where in this place her underwear got to."

'_Oh that's it...he dies now'_ Neji turned and pounded hard on the door. The laughter inside stopped abruptly.

"Who the hell could that be?" Sakura wondered from inside. Two sets of footsteps could be heard, and then the door was opened, bathing their visitor in light from inside.

"Neji!" Naruto said way to cheerfully. "How did..." but he wasn't able to finish his next statement. He found himself pushed rather forcefully against the wall, one hand around his neck and another fisted tightly in the fabric of his shirt, holding him so that his feet couldn't touch the floor. Pale grey eyes filled with rage hovered before his, and a hitai-ate pressed hard into his own uncovered forehead made sure he gazed back into them. Naruto had instinctively grabbed onto the hand at his throat, but the harder he tried to remove it, the tighter the grip around his windpipe got. He could hear Sakura in the background screaming at them, but to no avail.

"What did you do to Hinata-sama?" The voice was firm and steady, not betraying the obvious loathing the speaker was feeling at that moment. His victim grunted and squeaked, but was unable to reply in his current position. This only enraged Neji more. "I said, what did you do to my cousin?"

"He can't answer you if you don't let him breath!" Sakura screamed from behind him, grabbing his arms and trying to force him to let go of the now purple faced boy in his hands. "And besides, he hasn't done anything that you yourself haven't done with Tenten you fucking hypocrite!"

Those words came as a slap to the face, and Naruto was released to a coughing pile on the floor. His attacker turned to face the now fuming kunoichi in front of him. "That has nothing to do with this. How dare you bring my relationship with her into this."

"Nothing to do with this, huh?" she smirked, realizing she'd struck a nerve. "So what you're saying is that you can run around with Tenten and do whatever your perverted little mind comes up with, but Hinata is unable to have any kind of love life of her own?"

"I never said any such thing." came the cold reply. The dark boy was shaking now, fighting for control over his emotions. He wanted to slap her across the face for suggesting such a thing, but he refused to stoop so low as to strike a woman over a verbal argument.

"I'm sorry, you're right. Love is fine, you just won't let her enjoy a _sex_-life." He scoffed at such a notion, and she just grinned even wider. She was enjoying this way to much. Her common sense told her to stop taunting him, but her inner voice was cheering her on. She glanced carefully at Naruto, who was still wheezing on the floor. It sounded like Neji had crushed his larynx, but she could see the bruises around his neck already starting to fade. She wondered if that strange healing ability would be able to take care of that as well.

"I'm only looking out for her... it's my duty in the family to protect her... you wouldn't understand." Now he was just getting annoyed. Sakura had nothing to do with ANY of this, and she certainly had no right to be criticizing him. Why was he arguing with her when it was Naruto he came to confront? Before he could point this out he was startled by a strangled gasp behind him.

"Both of you just shut up for a minute." Naruto wheezed, having finally managed to get back to his feet. His voice was rough and gravely, causing both to wince at him. He coughed again to clear his throat, spitting red onto the floor. Sakura moved toward him but he waved her off. "I'm ok, just give me a minute." he said, his voice already sounding a bit more normal. The site of blood had calmed Neji for a moment, making him realize that maybe he had perhaps gone to far. The room went silent as they waited for him.

Naruto sputtered a bit more, fighting back tears at the burning pain as the crushed bone and damaged trachea repaired themselves. _'So you're still around huh, old fox? I was beginning to wonder about you.' _he mused.

'**_Of course I am, don't be ridiculous. Just didn't see a need to step in till now.'_**

The blonde startled for a moment, surprised at the reply. He shook his head as he felt everything pop back into place and could finally breath again properly. _'Never mind... I'll talk to you later.'_

"Neji, I understand where you're coming from. I kinda expected this from you." he cleared his throat again, still having that acrid metal taste of blood at the back of his mouth. "But it's important that you know I haven't done anything to harm her, and I certainly haven't done anything with out her consent."

The older boy raised an eyebrow. "But you admit that you have..." he searched his mind for a proper word, not wanting to associate sweet, shy Hinata with such acts, 'been 'intimate' with her?" Neji scowled as he received an affirmative answer, angry with himself for allowing it to happen. He didn't realize that the kindly nudge he had meant to give them last night had instead been an open invite into the bedroom. Hiashi would be livid if/when he found out... if he hadn't already. "And just what are you intentions toward her now?" he demanded, watching as Naruto let out a sigh.

"That's where this gets complicated, and I really...really need you to calm down and listen to what I have to say." There was a seriousness to his voice that caught him off gaurd. Neji looked back and forth between the teammates, the grave looks in their eyes causing his frustration to fade to concern. With a silent nod, he turned and followed the two in the livingroom.

_**--------------------------------------------------------------**_

_**Ok, I know that should make some of you happy :) I'm sorry it's so short... But on another note...**_

_**-sob- ONLY ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO! -sniffle-**_

_**There will also be a teaser into the next story in the series, "Into the Desert" at the end of the next chapter**_


	20. Farewell

**_Alright, I had promised this up, and here it is, the stunning conclusion. Why today? Cause it's the 3 month aniversary of the day I first started this journey. I find it fitting._**

**_ I thank you all for your reviews and kindness, your words of encouragment, and your interesting ideas. I hope you've enjoyed this twisted tale I've lead me down, after all, I never would have made it to chapter 20 without you guys (remember, this was originally started as a 5 chapter smut fic till i was pestered and badgered into continuing it into a full series.)_**

**_ Those of you who've been here from the begining, it's been a true pleasure._**

**_For those we've met along the way, I'm glad you came along._**

**_I hope you will come with me again on the next adventure, as our young lovers head off "Into the Desert" to test themselves and their love. _**

**_ So now, with a heavy heart, I give you the final chapter of "Into the Woods"_**

**_Teaser_**

**_-------------------------------------------------------  
_**

As she lay there in that dark period of consciousness, just before you're truly awake, Hinata realized how hungry she was. There was a gnawing emptiness in her belly, and this heavenly aroma of miso tempting her so that she couldn't tell if she was still dreaming or not. As she rolled over lazily, her stomach let out an unusually loud gurgle, causing her to let out a sleepy giggle.

"You'd better wake up and do something about that, we just started fattening you up again." came a deep voice from her side. Her eyes shot open, surprised to see her older cousin sitting there, his features sad and softened. "Didn't I tell you that you needed your rest?" he chided her quietly.

Hinata sat up slowly, surprised to see him here. "Neji-niisan, you're back from your mission already?" he nodded once in reply. She looked to her window, finding it dark and full of stars. "What time is it?"

"Almost 10:00. I've been told you slept all day after they found you." He watched as she looked quietly down at her fingers, guilt creeping slowly across her face as the digits poked and fidgeted. He couldn't hold back the smile, as seeing that old quirk of hers warmed his heart again. She was still the same old Hinata, nothing really had changed.

"Anou... niisan... maybe I should have listened to you... a bit more." She felt him fussing with her pillows, propping them up so she could lean back more comfortably on them. As she settled back, he picked up the tray of food some the night stand and placed it across her lap. She smiled as her stomach growled again at the site of half a sandwich, warm tea, and that miso that had been teasing her.

"You must forgive me, Hinata-san. I got hungry waiting for you to awaken, so I ate the other half of your sandwich." he smiled slightly as he watched her get started on her soup. He let her go in silence for a while before he couldn't bear it anymore. "Hinata... I know what really happened last night."

She froze for a moment before setting the spoon back in her bowl, staring at the cloudy liquid as the broth swirled and settled. There was a lump in her throat, and she fought hard to swallow it down. "H..how did you find out?" she whispered, trying to hide the shame she didn't understand why she was feeling. She certainly wasn't ashamed of what she'd done. Or was it just because he had found out at all? She sighed, afraid of what his answer would be.

"I had quite a long discussion with Naruto." he stated simply. Her head shot up, watery eyes questioning him. Neji sighed as he stood, heading towards her closet. He pulled out a simple yukata and placed it over the chair he had been sitting on. "Please... finish your meal and then get dressed. I'd like you to join me for a short walk in the gardens. I promise not to wear you out too much." He placed a hand gently on her shoulder, his eyes gazing down at her with a mixture of sorrow and what almost appeared to be pity, before he turned and walked out of her room.

'_He's going to yell at me.'_ she thought as the tears slid down her cheeks to drop into the bowl in her lap. _'He's already beaten Naruto into submission, and now he's going to yell at me so badly he has to do it outside so as not to wake the house.'_ She stared at the rest of the food, not really wanting to eat it, but unable to deny the fact that it was needed to stop the discomfort in her stomach. She quickly forced it down and changed, sad to remove the articles of _his_ clothing she had been sleeping in. She tucked them safely away in the bottom of her pillow where they wouldn't be found by others before she went out to join Neji in the hallway and then head out.

Once outside in the cool night air, Neji lead her silently away from the houses to a secluded section of the garden. He turned from the main footpath onto a small worn trail that led back through the brush to where the family shrines were kept. Once they reached the small, private clearing, he turned to her and brought her to sit on the small bench there. She closed her eyes, waiting for the verbal onslaught to begin. Instead, she heard the quiet foot falls of him walking away, and turned to watch as he moved a good distance back down the trail, stopping about 30 yards away and leaned back against a tree there. "I swear, Uzimaki, if you hurt her I will make you pay in blood." he called back as he folded his arms across his chest and turned his head away.

Before she could ask what was going on a voice rang out behind her that made her heart stop. "If I hurt her, Neji, I will be more then willing to shed it."

Hinata sprang to her feet, spinning around to see Naruto standing there with that beautiful, stupid grin on his face that made all her worries melt away. Before he could say anything further, she had stepped on the bench and launched herself into his arms with an ecstatic "Naruto-kun!" He caught her, letting out that carefree laugh she loved so much, spinning her to keep from being knocked over by her leap. When he finally stopped and set her down she wasn't sure what had thrilled her more, the dizzying ride or the fact she was back in his arms again.

Neji smirked quietly from his position, watching their display of affection nonchalantly over his shoulder._ 'Those two are too cute for their own good... if this keeps up I might have to commit sepuku."_

The couple kissed tenderly for a moment, mindful of the watch guard. Even still it left Hinata breathless, and with her mind swimming she finally managed to blurt out what she'd been wondering since she first came out here. "Naruto... what's going on? What are you doing here?"

A sadness filled those ceruleanpools that gazed back at her, and she suddenly found herself trembling, afraid of what was happening. He scooped her up quicky, setting her gently back down on the bench as she had been before he sat down next to her, his legs facing the other way so that he could pull her close to him. She allowed herself to be folded into those arms, a dreaded feeling taking over that this may be the last time. The whole scenario was wonderful, but at the same time wrong. He should not be here with her, Neji shouldn't be so unconcerned with this. Hinata turned her head to rest it over his chest, listening to his quickly beating heart and waiting for the words she knew were coming.

"Hinata..." his voice was soft and pained. "You know that I love you, don't you?" She looked up, her heart swelling at this. He finally said it, the words she'd waited a lifetime for had finally left his lips. Her opaline eyes gazed upward, and she smiled, her cheeks flushing gently.

"Of course I do, Naruto-kun... and you know I love you as well." He melted, and kissed her softly, running his fingers through her soft hair. When they finally broke, she ran a hand gently over his whiskered cheeks, drawing a tear from his eyes. "Neji... he's making us end this isn't he?" A surprised laugh escaped her love, and he squeezed her tightly.

"I wish it were that simple, but I'm afraid this is goodbye, for now." His chest ached at those words, and more so at the confusion coming from his beloved's eyes. "I'm being sent away on a long term mission... I don't know when I'll be back."

She looked at him blankly for a moment. A mission? You mean, Neji and her family wasn't trying to tear them apart? He mouth curled slowly upward in amusement, and her shoulders twitched in a giggle. "You're leaving on a mission?" He stared dumbfounded at her reaction, causing her to laugh more. "That's it? A mission?" He nodded slowly, concern creeping across his face.

"Hinata...are you feeling ok?" he watched as she buried her face in his chest and giggled in a fit of hysteria. _'Oh great... now I've done it... I've turned her into a raving lunatic...'_ Looking back over his shoulder he saw the older Hyuga also looking concerned. Naruto shrugged back at him, this was certainly not the reaction he expected from her. Finally she lifted her head again, tears streaming down her cheeks as she laughed.

"You...you mean to tell me... that you two drug me out here in the middle of the night and scared me half out of my mind thinking that he," she pointed back at her waiting cousin, "had threatened you," poking Naruto firmly in the chest, "into breaking this all off, when all you're doing is leaving... on a _MISSION_?"

Naruto looked down at her and thought about it. "You know... when you put it that way, it does sound kinda... stupid." He watched her again, this time amused as she nodded and laughed into his chest again. He held her close till she could calm down again, smiling quietly to herself. He spoke up again when she finally managed to regain her composure. "You were really worried about that weren't you?"

"Terrified." she replied. "I've been a mess all day over this." She snuggled back up against him, relief washing over her. "So... when are you expecting to be back?"

He sighed against her and squeezed gently. "Don't know, they're saying at longest two or so years." She tensed in his arms and turned up to look at him, all mirth gone from her face. "This is why Neji brought me here. It's not a normal mission." She nodded slowly before settling back onto his chest. He was amazed at how calm she was over this. Sakura had broken down, even Neji had been frustrated over this. But Hinata, the emotional roller coaster of the group, was ok with this? "Don't...you have something to say?"

She fidgeted with his shirt, thinking it over in her head. "Well, you're only leaving me because you were ordered on a mission, right? You still love me, and want to be with me..." she gazed up at him. "Right?"

"Yes, I want to be with you." he said softly. She smiled back.

"So what's the big deal?" she replied. "We're shinobi, it's what we do. Sometimes we're ordered to be gone for long periods of time. Husbands leave wives, Mothers leave children, it doesn't mean they stop caring just because they are apart. I've waited years to finally be with you, I... think I can wait a few more."

His heart ached at her words, so simple, but so much truth behind them. Sometimes he wondered why he had wanted to be a ninja so badly when it seemed to bring so much more pain to his life. "It's not going to be easy, I don't know how often I'll be able to write you, and I won't be able to tell you where I am, so you can't write back. I'll... I'll understand if I come back and you changed your mind."

"I don't think I'm going to." she said softly.

The two sat there under the stars, clinging to each other till the silence was interrupted by the harsh sound of Neji clearing his voice. "I hate to interrupt, however it is getting late... and we all need sleep."

Hinata turned to Naruto, her voice softer then usual. "When are you leaving?"

"Just before sunrise." he replied, kissing her tenderly on the forehead, breathing deeply the smell of her skin and hair.

"Neji-niisan," she called sweetly to her cousin. "Can we go to see him off?" As he approached them, he could see she was making that face... the one that always used to win him over when she was a toddler, eyes big and sad, lower lip pouting just so, and of course, those nervous fingers. He smiled warmly down at her.

"We'll see. I don't know if I'll be able to sneak you out twice in one night after what happened." He watched as she sank back and nodded slowly. _'Besides,'_ he thought, _'you're handling this for now, but you'll probably be a blathering idiot come morning. I wouldn't be surprised if you break down before we reach the house. Better to let him see you like this instead.'_

"Well, in case I don't see you then, I have something for you. But you have to promise not to open it till you get back to your room, k?" Naruto smiled mischievously as he reached under the bench and pulled out a box that was tied with string. Hinata beamed as he handed over the package, she certainly wasn't expecting anything from him. She nodded and set it down as they both stood to say goodbye.

"Thank you, really Neji. This means a lot to me." Naruto said gratefully as he took the other mans hand for a firm shake.

"You can thank me best by hurrying home. If you make Hinata wait to long, I might have to come looking for you." He smirked back for a moment before clapping a hand to his shoulder. "Be safe, Uzimaki." And with a swish of his flowing hair, he turned and headed back down the path and out of sight to wait for his cousin.

When he had disappeared into the brush, Naruto turned and scooped Hinata up desperately, pulling her against him as he finally kissed her as he had wanted to all night. She returned it happily, eagerly, as their lips met and tongues danced across each other. Their hands wandered briefly as desire flared, both wishing to say goodbye in a more intimate way, but knowing they would have to settle for this. Tears began to fall as slowly the passion faded and was replaced by heartache. Bruised and swollen lips parted, placing small, pleading kisses over eyes and whiskers as hushed voices declared undying promises of love and devotion. Finally that too took to much energy, and in the end they clung abjectly together.

"You come back to me, Uzimaki Naruto." Hinata whispered to him as he finally started to pull away.

"I will... I promise." he said firmly, brushing the last tear from her fair cheek and kissing the trail away. Tracing his finger along her face one last time, he took a deep breath. "I love you Hinata." And with that he vanished off into the night like a dream.

She stood there, staring off into the darkness until she felt a hand at her elbow. Turning, she found Neji with a concerned look on his face. He put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

"No..." her shaky voice said softly. "But I will be... eventually." He handed her the box he had picked up, and turned her back to the house. As he predicted, she was in tears again by the time they reached the door.

--------------------------------

Naruto was shaking by the time he got back to his apartment. He was exhausted, and knew he needed to get some sleep before he and Jiraya left in the morning, but he doubted he was going to get any. He still had to get all his gear packed up, and while Sakura and Neji had been a big help sorting it out, he had no idea how he was going to get it all stuffed into his rucksacks. That and now he was worried about Hinata. He hated himself for just leaving like that, but if he had stayed any longer he would have lost it completely in front of her. He couldn't do that to her, especially after she acted to strong and sure of herself while declaring her loyalty to him. Angrily brushing back tears, he fought to keep control of his emotions. He'd already stopped once to cry and scream to the universe how unfair this was, begging the stars and moon above to forgive him for crushing her like this. He was still so worked up as he walked in, he tripped over something. To his surprise, he found Sakura had already taken care of all his bags, having packed and placed them by his door where he had so unskillfully bumbled over them. The lights were all still on, and everything had been cleaned and put away. As he checked around to see if there was anything she had missed, he found her curled up on the couch where she had fallen asleep waiting for him.

He sat for a moment and watched her, how peaceful she was. His thoughts wandered back to all the missions they'd been on and all the things they'd been through together. He'd been so happy to have her on his team and fighting by his side not only because he got to be close to her, but because he could keep her safe. He never had to sit up nights and worry because he knew she was alright, sleeping peacefully while he took his turn at the watch. She had hated how the boys had looked after her, always protecting her, but the truth was neither of them had minded. Naruto had even caught his rival up at nights trying not to make it too obvious, but the look on his face as he watched the sleeping girl was unmistakable.

He sighed to himself. Her training at the hospital would probably be over by the time he came back, and she would be a fully trained field medic. Unless she petitioned Tsunade to specialize her for something at the hospital, she would be released. As such she would be sent on more and more dangerous missions where her skills would be needed, especially as she progressed in rank and ability. And he wouldn't be there to protect her anymore. Without a word he retrieved the blanket from his bed and covered her with it. She sighed, her lips curving slightly in a smile as she snuggled underneath it. Then, sitting down on the floor next to her, propping his arms and head on the cushions, he watched her one last time before he fell asleep himself.

When the alarm went off, Sakura grabbed it out of habit and threw it across the room. _'It's way to early for this'_she thought as she rolled over, and off the couch. She jumped up with a shriek as the floor groaned and a hand reached around and grabbed her backside. Looking down she saw a red and flustered Naruto glaring up at her.

"What on earth are you doing in my room!" she shouted.

"Your room!" He growled back. She stopped for a second, suddenly realizing that she most certainly didn't own such an ugly brown couch. She turned her own shade of red as she reached down to help him up off the floor.

"Oh...that's right...I had fallen asleep waiting for you to come back last night."

"Why didn't you go home?" he asked, pulling himself upright.

"I dunno... I guess I just...didn't want to." she said with a shrug. "I guess I thought you might have needed someone nearby after you got back from Hinata's." She watched as his face drooped at her name, and the tears started forming in his deep blue eyes. "How did she take it?"

Naruto sniffled for a moment, clenching a fist to try and keep himself together. "At the time she held up pretty well... but she's probably a complete wreck right now." he said softly, angry at himself again. Sakura came closer and wrapped her arms around him, letting him squeeze her tightly till he could calm himself down.

"She'll be ok, Naruto. She has Neji and Tenten, and I'm here to help her too... we'll be ok. You're the one I'm worried about."

"I'll be ok" he said with a fake laugh, pulling back from her a bit. "I'm used to being alone, always have been... and apparently always will be."

That statement made pain shoot through her hands and chest. _'Does he really think that? Oh Naruto.'_ Before she realized what she was doing, she pulled him close and pressed her lips to his softly, chastely. It was only for a brief moment and then she was looking away, ashamed at herself for it. She turned her back, not wanting him to see her own tears forming. "You're never alone, Naruto. You have so many people here who love you... we just don't all know how to say it."

He stood there, shocked for a moment, not sure what had just happened. He could see her shoulders trembling and reached out for her. He pulled her back, wrapping his arms around her firmly as she tried to push away. A sob escaped her as she finally gave in, letting him hold her close. He hated himself again for bringing tears to another precious persons eyes. Naruto reached into his pocket, and took the item he found there and pressed it into her hands.

"Sakura, I want you to take this and use it. I'm serious."

She opened her eyes and looked back at him before glancing down at the small, metal key he'd just given her. "Wha...what is it?"

"It's a key to this apartment." She looked at him again confused, as he smiled softly and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "If you ever need a place to hide from people, or just miss me that much, you're welcome here. Eat my ramen, sleep on my couch... just try not to steal all my clothes." he said with a giggle, causing her to blush. When Sasuke had first left, the two had gone back to check his home for anything he might have left behind, a note or explanation, anything. He had been amused to find out she'd gone back later on her own and snuck out with a few of his shirts and a couple pairs of boxers. He knew she used them to sleep in every now and again. Between her and Hinata, he might need a new wardrobe when he gets back.

"But...Naruto I.." she started to protest and give it back, but he closed her fingers over it.

"No buts...besides... it's just going to be sitting here empty. You can at least come over and open the windows every now and again."

She nodded then, slowly and silently, unable to really argue with that logic. She pushed him away again gently, still not looking at him. "You'd better go get ready, it's almost time to go. I'll... find you something to eat." Naruto looked out at the lightening sky and agreed, heading off to the bedroom to get dressed. He paused down the hallway and looked back at her, still standing there staring at the key in her hand, and wondered again to himself if things would be alright without him.

--------------------------------------

Hinata was a mess at this point. She hadn't gotten any sleep, and while she hadn't cried all night, she certainly had spent most of it sobbing quietly into her now saturated pillow. She turned a weary eye to her clock, noticing the time and wondering if she should bother trying to go see him off, or if she should just accept it and stay here to wallow in her grief.That's when her gaze fell upon the gift he had given to her before he left. She sat up, slowly pulling it to her, deciding maybe it was time to open it.

After cutting off the string with a random shuriken she had sitting on the nightstand, she took a deep breath and pulled the lid off. A small laugh escaped her, finding it filled with several of his t-shirts. As she picked the top one up to smell it, holding it's soft fabric to dry her cheek, she noticed a small folded note that fell out of it. Still cradling the shirt to her, she picked it up and began to read

_My Hinata-chan,_

_At this point you're probably crying , or have been for a while, and it's killing me to know that it's my fault. I really wish I could stay here by your side, but at the same time this is going to be a great adventure for me. I only hope you can understand. I know you will be alright without me, you're a strong and kind person. Don't ever think badly about yourself, Hinata. I might not be there to watch, but I'm still cheering for you. Shine for me, I want to hear all about your own adventures when I come back._

_Your #1 hyperactive knucklehead fanboy,_

_Uzimaki Naruto_

_PS- take good care of that house key I left you _(Hinata looks down and finds it sitting on top of the next shirt) _as you and Sakura now have the only two copies I own. Feel free to use it whenever, my house is your house. And as for the other thing... well... it was the only real 'Naruto' thing I could think of to leave for you to remember me by._

'_Other thing?'_ she thought to herself, rummaging through the box. _'What on earth...'_ she stopped as her hands grabbed something oddly shaped. As she pulled it out, a soft tapping came at her door frame. Neji slowly slid her door to the side and peeked in.

"Hinata-sama, do you still want to go and see him go?"

She looked up, fresh tears forming in her eyes. "I wouldn't miss it for anything." she said, grabbing the shuriken and something else while shoving his gift in her pocket before taking off for the village gates, her cousin close behind.

-------------------------------------------

The traveling pair were making their way out of the gate just as the first golden rays of sunlight began to warm and color the horizon. Farewells had been brief and awkward in an attempt to not prolong each others suffering. Now Sakura stood there alone, staring at the back of the boy she never thought she'd miss so much, and he wasn't even out of sight yet. Suddenly she was distracted by a commotion behind her. .

The teacher and his young student paused at the noise, wondering what was going on. As Naruto turned his heart leapt at the cause of the disturbance. Dropping the bag he had slung over his shoulder he took off, leaving Jiraya to shake his head and laugh.

Hinata was on the verge of panic. Sakura was staring down the road, and there wasn't any sign of Naruto anywhere. She cried out, causing the other girl to turn and then start screaming frantically herself past the gateway. It was then that the Hyuga had noticed them heading away and she tore off as fast as she could after them, reaching into her pocket and pulling the object there out and onto her head, her fist clench tightly around something else. She beamed, seeing her love turn and come racing back to her.

There was laughter as they flew into each others arms, both amazed that they hadn't missed their chance for a final goodbye.

"I thought you weren't coming." he said breathlessly into her ear, his heart pounding as he squeezed her tightly.

"I wasn't going to, then I read your letter." she sighed, wishing she could lock her arms and plant her feet into the ground and force him to stay.

He chuckled back, finally realizing there was something hard pressing uncomfortably into his cheek. As he pulled back to look, his face stretched into a bemused grin. "I didn't expect you to actually wear them! Just keep them nearby as a momento!"

Hinata stood there for a moment, blushing sweetly, with his old goggles perched on her head in much the same way Sakura wore her hitai-ate. He found her so adorable in the moment he turned and yelled for his friend to come over for a moment and started fumbling through the pack on his back for something. As she reached them, a camera was produced and pressed into her hands, causing Sakura to laugh as she watching him put his arm around the reddening girl and beam like an idiot.

"You better get extra of this one and send it back for us! I want a copy, and I'm sure she will too." she bubbled, green eyes twinkling in amusement at the couple as she snapped off three pictures. She was startled then when it was pulled from her fingers and she was shoved next to the dark haired beauty.

"I want one of you both too, so I'll have something to look at while I'm gone." he said simply, waiting for them to pose. The girls giggled and hugged each other while he snapped another picture. "Alright... now make this one sexy! Show me some leg or cleavage!" he teased, eliciting a gasp from Hinata and a slap from Sakura. "Hey! What? I need SOMETHING to get me through this trip!" Naruto joked back.

"I will not have you turning my sweet little cousin into a pin-up." came a calm voice. Neji blinked for a moment, spotting her new headgear. He had to admit it was cute, for the moment. He just hoped she wasn't going to make it a new accessory. He was pulled from his musings when the blonde ran over and handed him the camera.

"Just in time!" he yelled as he handed it over and put an arm around the girls. "This is the last one I swear."

"Well in that case, we should make it a good one." Hinata piped in shyly, motion for the rose haired girl to lean over so she could whisper something to her. Sakura giggled at the suggestion as she moved back to his other side, nodding her agreement.

"Alright everyone, on the count of three... one... two... three!"

Before he knew what was happening, Naruto found his face sandwiched as the two beauties grabbed him and pressed a big kiss on each cheek in perfect synchronicity. He could feel his cheeks burn, unable to help it as a blush and a big, silly grin worked their way over him. There was a sudden, blinding flash and it was all over. He stood there in a daze till their laughter brought him back to his senses. Their antics were interrupted by a cool but amused voice.

"I do hate to break this up, but we really do need to get going, Naruto." Jiraya was leaning against the perimeter wall with a smile on his face unable to help himself after watching them carry on like that. He was relieved actually, as he had been afraid he was going to have to spend the next few weeks listening to the boy whine about missing his girlfriend and asking when they were going back home.

Hinata turned quietly, eyes averted and fingers twitching together nervously. "Umm..Naruto...I have something for you too...to remember me by." Before he could say anything she pushed it into his hand and turned shyly away, her hands folded behind her in an attempt to keep from fidgeting as she waited for his response, nibbling her lower lip in anticipation. _'He's going to think this is silly... I shouldn't have done it...' _she fretted to herself.

He looked at her for a moment before glancing down at the soft thing she had given to him. As he opened his fingers, he startled at what he held. In his hand was a thick lock of her deep indigo hair tied tightly in a silver ribbon. He lightly ran a finger over it, amazed at how long it was. _'Where did she manage...'_ and then he stopped, looking back at her. He reached out gently, and turned her back to face him. She dropped her gaze and blushed, keeping the left side of her face tucked away from him. Naruto placed a finger on her chin, lifting her to look at him directly. There it was. He finally noticed the uneven hairs, and even a slight scrape on her left ear where she had cut off the long side lock that had so perfectly framed her face.

"For luck." she whispered, seeing the tears welling up in his eyes.

Naruto tucked it carefully into his left breast pocket, patting it over his heart before pulling her in for a hug. "I'll treasure it always." he whispered back.

"Oh yuck...get a room you two." Sakura teased when they were still standing there a few minutes later. She squealed as she was suddenly pulled into it as well.

"You two look out for each other for me, ok?" he said, trying to hide the cracks in his voice. He stepped back, cupping each of their faces in his hands. "My two favorite girls." he sighed for a moment before pulling back from them, watching as they both smiled. "I want you guys to kick ass and take names... make me proud."

With that he turned, grabbing the other bag from his sensei, and with a final wave they started down the roadway. He looked back only once, just before the path sloped down and out of site. Sakura was standing behind Hinata with her arms wrapped tightly around her, both with quiet tears drifting down their cheeks. Neji was beside them, having managed to recover his normally stoic expression. He sighed to himself, wondering what the others would think when they awoke to the news that Uzimaki Naruto was gone, god knows when to return to the peaceful village of the leaves. He looked back at the road ahead of him, wondering what kind of glorious adventures awaited him. With that thought in mind, he continued on his way out of the village and into the woods.

_fin_

**_------------------------------------------_**

**_bawls So that's it! The gutwreanching conclusion! But don't fret! I'm not done with these two yet! Here's your sneak peak at the next installment in the series: Into the Desert! Which i will probably post the first chapter this coming weekend. (ps-the teaser you are about to read has not been beta'd. hey! i gotta keep some secrets, ne?)_**

**_---------------------------------------------- _**

There was a light dusting of snow falling on the quiet village of Konoha. Hyuga Neji was making his way back through the gate to the family home after a very long and difficult mission when he heard the familiar flapping sound of a messenger falcon landing behind him. He let out a weary sigh. All he wanted to do was get inside, get out of his gear and have a long, hot bath. He reluctantly turned around to look at the bird who was chittering expectantly behind him.

"Please don't tell me you have another mission for me from the Hokage."

It cocked it's head curiously at him before making another soft noise, shifting it's wings with a flutter, wanting to get rid of the message in his harness. Neji sighed and motioned for it to follow him to the house. Once there it flew over to the perch near the door and turned to let him relieve it of it's burden. As the young man pulled out the bulky envelope, a smaller one dropped out unexpectedly. Feeling remarkably lighter, the falcon let out a grateful squeak and too off for the aviary. Neji watched it fly off before checking the items in his hand, amused to see a familiar spiral mark placed along the seal.

_'So, you're still out there Uzumaki? I was beginning to wonder...' _he mused to himself, placing the smaller envelope with his name into his own pocket for later, wondering where he could find his younger cousin.

In the center part of the main house of the Hyuga clan was the family library. This large room contained many written treasures, including the entire clan genealogy (or at least, as far back as to where people cared to start keeping track of such things.), various property deeds and titles, marriage declarations and business contracts, alliances and family treaties, scrolls containing special jutsus and combat techniques, and the best collection of historical documents on the village as well as a good portion of the Land of Fire itself. Buried here amongst the scrolls and texts and ancient dust, was the pretty young heiress.

Pretty was an understatement. Even in her current state, laying on the floor, her lower body tucked under the large mahogany writing desk and surrounded by a magnitude of documents, it was hard to not notice her startling beauty. Hinata was wearing a simple house kimono of silver and blue, colors that accentuated not only her flawless ivory complexion, but her large opaline eyes and long dark locks. She had begun to grow her hair long starting with her 16th birthday, as was tradition for the women of her family. The indigo tresses were currently twisted and knotted back from her gentle face, held in place by a calligraphy brush and writing pen, a few errant strands having snuck out. Her chin was resting on a delicate looking hand, pinky finger thoughtfully being chewed as she immersed herself in her studies. In fact, she was so intent on the one scroll before her that she was not prepared for the sudden harried interruption.

"Hinata! Are you hiding in here again!"

The girl startled, kicking the desk and knocking a large pile of bound texts crashing to the floor. As she jumped to her feet, she spun to face the intruder. Hinata's face flushed a light pink seeing it was only Hanabi, her younger sister.

"Of course I'm in here...where else would I be if I'm not training?" she said with a sigh, bending to pick up the mess off the floor.

"Maybe in fathers audience chambers... where you were supposed to meet him 15 minutes ago." the thirteen year old replied with a mischievous grin, watching the dawning realization spread across her sisters face. Hinata turned to the clock, eyes wide and cheeks turning dark with claret. Hanabi found herself pushed gently, yet firmly aside as the other tore out of the room and ran down the hallway. With a laugh, she turned to follow.

With a hand clutched across her chest to try and hold her clothing in place, Hinata ran as fast as you possibly could in a kimono, which wasn't terribly fast if you didn't want it flapping open in the breeze. She shouted a quick "Gomen Nasai!" as she spun to avoid a confused Neji and ducked out a screen door to the inner courtyard. His eyebrow quirked up in amusement, he simply pointed out the open door as Hanabi came racing behind with a smirk on her face. She mouthed the word FATHER at him and he nodded in acknowledgment, deciding he had time to bathe and change before he surprised Hinata. Besides, now he was curious at what Hiashi could be up to that had both his daughters in a mad dash across the house. With a shake of his head, he continued to his room to wait on the whirling dervishes.

Hinata moved quickly around the covered walkway, taking the corners easily till she suddenly planted her feet and slid on the polished surface, pulling open another screen with her and leaping nimbly inside. She ran down the larger corridor, making a quick right before sliding to a stop just outside of an ornate entranceway. After another moment she felt a set of hands on her as Hanabi had caught up and was now working to straighten her robes and tighten her belt. The older girl pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve pocket and wiped the sweat from her brow, trying to calm herself and even her breathing. With one last tug, the smaller girl stepped back to look her over.

"Alright, your kimono is straight... now..." but she was cut off as Hinata turned quickly.

"Thank you... wish me luck with whatever this is about..." and she ducked through the doorway.

"But Hinata!" Hanabi called at a loud whisper, "You forgot about your hair!" She giggled to herself. _'Ah well...'_ she thought, _'It doesn't actually look that bad... and besides, I know father will have a good laugh over it later. I just hope there's not someone important in there with him."_ With her search and rescue mission a success, the teenager turned and headed off to find her teammates and get some real training done.

The branch member waiting by the door smiled quizzically as she approached him, but he maintained his courteous voice as he announced Hinata and received permission for her entrance. She was startled to see the form of the Gondaime kneeling patiently on the tatame mats before her father, and groaned inwardly. _'Why didn't he tell me we were meeting with her... and what on earth could this be about?' _ She bowed her head as she entered, making the perfunctory greetings and excuses for keeping them waiting. She was surprised when, instead of allowing her to take the place next to Tsunade, he motioned for her to join him at his side. As she kneeled in her place, she noticed the way the corners of his mouth twitched, as if trying to hide something.

"Hinata, were you in the library again?" he asked cooly, managing to maintain his serious look.

"Yes,Otousan. I was studying those documents you suggested, and just lost track of the time." Hinata heard a muffled sound come from their guest, and turning saw Tsunade trying to hide behind her tea cup, her eyes sparkling merrily.

"Yes... I suppose you did." He replied, trying to keep his voice even. While his face may have managed to hold up, inside the family head was fighting to keep it together. _'Here it comes... 5... 4... 3... 2...'_

Hinata had obviously missed something. _'What on earth could have their attention?'_ she wondered, looking back and forth between the two. _'Did Hanabi leave something on me? I'm gonna'_ at that moment she had dared to actually look down at herself, a strand of hair falling down to her eyes as she did. Suddenly, the realization dawned on her, her eyes widening in shock and her face beginning to burn. _'Oh no! I forgot to take down my hair!'_ Tsunade exploded in giggles, and even Hiashi allowed a polite chuckle to escape as he reached over and pulled the writing implements from his daughters hair, allowing it to cascade down her back to rest at the bottom of her shoulder blades. She snatched them back quickly from him and tucked them underneath her, eliciting more laughter from her elders. As she began to apologize, the Hokage cut in.

"Well Hiashi, I see some things never change. This is exactly why I want her for this." The blonde grinned, watching the expression on the girls face. _'She may have grown up a lot, but she's still the same Hinata, and that's just who we need for this.'_

"Anou...Otousan, what exactly did you want from me?" the quiet young woman asked, fighting to keep her hands folded demurely in her lap. These two were planning something, and she was begging to wonder if she should be worried.

"Don't worry, Hinata. The Hokage has just taken notice of a certain skill you have, and wants to put it to good use. She has a request for you, an opportunity that will bring much honor to not only this family, but the village as well."

**_I know you're dying for more... you'll just have to keep an eye out._**

_**So long and thanks for all the fish!**_

_**Teaser **_


	21. NFA announcement

I know what you're thinking... 

You're thinking OMFG!!! AN UPDATE TO _WOODS_!?!?! BUT... IT'S OVER, RIGHT?!?

well, yes, it is over, but the saga continues!

If you remember a while back, I had reported _Woods_ was nominated for an NFA Well it's election time again, and the polls are open. All Naruto Fiction readers are invited to come cast your ballots for your favorite fanfictions.

I'm not just trying to pimp myself here, but all the other great authors in all the great catagories!

Legilmyths _After the Pain_ is a contender, as well as Krickitat's _Ink Me_, Antagonists _The Red Light District_, Rasengan22s _No Such Thing as Heroes... _the list goes on!

seriously guys! go cast your votes, and send your friends as well!

Show your favorite authors you appreciate them!

http :// nfa . narutofic . org

this message paid for and supported by "Fans for Fanfiction" and not affiliated with any political candidate.

my name is kyubiteaser and I approve this message


	22. warning to thieves and readers alike

It's been brought to my attention that there is a subject by the sn of "Sweet Come Come Paradise" who is taking my story "Into the Woods", doing a little 'creative editing' after copy and pasting it, and then publishing it here on FF under the title of "Kissing Naruto." -the chibi demons look fairly pissed and are plotting evil in the corner away from their teaser-chan-

This person does not have my permission to do so. He is a theif of one of the very worst kind, and what's more, he may be doing this on other sites.

I'm asking you, my loyal readers who have been so kind as to send me warnings and post replies telling him to take it down to go and report him to the admin. If you don't know how, just go to his story and in the little drop down box where you would normally favorite or post a reply and click on the 'report abuse.' The more complaints the admin gets the faster they will shut this guy down before he tries to steal someone elses work. I also ask if anyone here is on any other fanfic sites to let me know if you see him posting it elsewhere as well. Many times these people post to multiple sites, hoping they won't get caught. Not only that but they'll grab from several different writers. If we don't shut him down now, he may start claiming "For the Love of My Friends " or "After the Pain"- one which I know has already been plagerized in the past, or maybe even one of your own stories.

Thank you again to those of you who let me know this was going on. I know I've been horrible about not posting. Real Life ate my soul, and my muse has been otherwise preoccupied. Mayhaps this is the kick in the ass I need to finally get chapter 5 of 'Desert' finished and posted. At least as to show my gratitude. Suki pops up everynow and again, and I really... really want to have her story told...

I'll see what I can do...

Teaser

**--UPDATE--**

I've been looking around, and found 4 people so far posting, in part or in whole, my fic "Into the Woods." One has been kind enough to remove his postings, and apologized. He was under the impression that he had permission from the author, and helped me to locate this subject. I want to say thank you to him for his honesty and for being so quick to respond with the removal. It is really appreciated.

That being said, here is what I've found:

**Dominique** at xnxx with "Hinata's Love for Naruto" - stories DOT xnxx DOT com / sexstoriesapril2007 / hinata DOT php

She has apparently had her's up for a year now, which really makes me upset. go post and report her. she also has contact info for YIM and MSN as well. I added her to my contact lists but I'm afraid to say something because I might get really angry.

**darkcloud996** at FanLib gave it the most creative title of "Hinata and Naruto having sex" - www DOT fanlib DOT com / s / 3ks70q

I have sent a contact letter to the site giving links back to this posting, and hopefully something will be done quickly about it. If you have an account at FanLib, please comment and flag this posting for me.

And of course, we still have MR. "**Sweet Come Come Paradise**" who has yet to remove his copy.

If there are any others out there that you find (and, I'm afraid to say it, but I think there are) please... please PLEASE contact me and give me the link and any info on the posting. I only post on 3 sites: AFF and here on FF as Kyubiteaser and on TONFA as FoxFire (was my original). ANY OTHER SITES OR NAMES YOU SEE ATTACHED TO WORK OF MINE IS STOLEN! I give no permission to anyone else to repost my work, and therefore it needs to be reported as such.

again, thank you for your time and help in this matter. you guys really are the best.


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